A Brand New World
by One Foot Forward
Summary: IYYYH. Suddenly it wasn't just the Feudal Era that was overrun with demons, and not all of them are after the jewel. A story of adventure, friendship, and a little bit of love.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** Okay, okay, I know. _Another_ story? But hear me out. I have my other stories' next few chapters written, but not edited (believe me when I say, you do not want to read my work when it is unedited). In the meantime, this story would _not_ stop pestering me, and I simply had to write it. Be pleased to know that aside from having this chapter edited, I have many many more in rough form, all of which I plan to have uploaded before my new university semester begins. And for the first time in perhaps _ever_ I actually have the entire plot-line finished. I simply have to write the ending and edit and it'll be done. So that is forty-six pages I currently have nearly ready to upload (!) and a whole story ready for you guys. So while yes, I do need to work on my other stories (and I plan to!) I will probably have this story finished first. Which is kind of cool!

So yeah, my sincerest apologies, but here goes another one!

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There was certainly something beautiful about the shade of blue that the sky wore in its typical summer attire - it was a bright, baby blue, the blue of robin's eggs, of ocean waters covering sand beaches, of a good today and a hopeful tomorrow. That type of blue was the kind that Kagome appreciated. She was an optimist at heart and loved to find the silver lining in any situation. The cerulean of the Feudal Era skyline was a very _nice_ blue. She _liked_ that blue a lot.

But now, this blue - the one that currently filled her vision- had something enrapturing about it. It was not as simple and straightforward as the other kind of blue. There was more mystery to the indigo that currently colored the late afternoon sky. More depth. It had more to it than just a surface shade, just like people tended to have more than one face. Why, this blue, it was positively captivating; she could _not _look away.

Although, that could have more to do with the many injuries that now covered her abdomen and lower limbs. Those pretty much restricted her movements until further notice.

Either way, all Kagome could see was blue, blue, blue. Sure, that meant that she had begun, about an hour ago, to project her own metaphors onto the horizon, but who was to say that such musings did not hold even a glimmer of truth?

She sighed, the movement causing more pain than anything else, and relaxed into her spread-eagle position on the forest floor. Go figure, it would be her luck to find the one park in all of downtown Tokyo that was overridden with demons. Modern day demons.

Okay, so overridden was a very strong word. But when you go from thinking there aren't any in your time to finding several, it's a pretty big leap.

It was just so _vexing_ really, for today was her only day off of both shard hunting and school. It happened so infrequently, since the group was kind enough to plan their coming and going around her schedule, and she only ever asked to be home for major exams. She was only back for the day because they had not had any leads in a while and there was no harm in her visiting her family for the afternoon. She was to meet up with Inuyasha later and journey for another little while, so her absence was going to sorely missed in the ensuing hours. Or, at the very least, she was going to get an earful when she did get back late.

Only _she _could be useless enough to get attacked by demons in her own time, and not be able to fend them off.

Kagome blew a stray bang out of her face with an exasperated breath. She knew that she really ought to drag her body over to a tree or some sort of prop; upright, the blood could flow to her injuries, and the healing process could kick in a little quicker. Something about the current level of blood loss however made her unwilling to do much more than create idle ideas about why demons were running around modern Japan.

As she was weighing the pros (better chance of a speedy recovery, less gore visible) and cons (she'd have to run her body over a lot of roots and loose dirt to get to a tree, there was no guarantee of recovery at all) of moving her body, she heard soft footsteps walk into the clearing. From the angle they had entered they could clearly not see her face, only the massive damage she had suffered.

"Fuck," the first voice swore "there wasn't supposed to be people here." The voice was rough and reminded her of Inuyasha. She began to picture the dog-demon wistfully.

"No, certainly not. Not with Botan's barrier up." The second voice was a lot smoother, elegant almost but a little bit cold as well. It brought forth images of Sesshomaru and Kagome found it difficult to imagine that the two brothers were in the same clearing without arguing.

Which really put a wrench in her plan to totally pretend none of this was happening.

"I am going to _kill_ that toddler if he messed this up...fucking demons running around Ningenkai."

Well, Kagome mused to herself, at least they appeared to be on her side. Most demons, which she could tell they were, were not really all that fazed when they saw dead human bodies.

"I am interested in hearing how exactly they managed to get past the barriers."

"This is _bad_ man."

"I know Yusuke. It is a problem with the higher-ups though, there was nothing you could have done differently."

She heard a sigh, and the footsteps continued until one of them was up near her head. She turned, as much as possible from her position, and smiled widely as a pretty red-head walked into her line of sight. "Hey there."

She watched his face go slack jawed for a brief moment before he turned to his partner. "Yusuke, she's alive still."

Well..._duh_.

The other man ran over and she finally got a good look at the pseudo-Inuyasha. He was tall and had a little too much gel in his dark black hair, but he also had a kind face which was currently pulled back in relief. "That's great! I'll go find Botan, she can help heal some of this."

He moved to run off, but luckily was in close enough reach for Kagome to raise an arm and pull at his pant leg as he went past her. It was not yet a strong enough grip to do more than cause Yusuke to stumble slightly, but it did the trick.

"No medics. Please, I am alright."

He turned back to her, a dubious look on his face. "Look, I know this must be really confusing for you-"

"Nope, not confusing. I don't need any healers."

Kurama frowned. "Your injuries are life threatening if not left untreated."

Kagome mostly doubted that. "I never said I was going to leave them untreated. Your healers won't be able to do anything."

He frowned, then turned to Yusuke. Something in his expression had the dark-haired youth nodding and heading off into the forest, much to Kagome's chagrin. Why could no one ever _listen_ to her. "No, wait, please it isn't worth their time."

But he continued out of the clearing and Kagome was just left with the other man, who was sending looks of pity her way. It was aggravating.

"I'm not in shock."

"Mhmmm." He murmured placatingly.

"I know what attacked me. This is not new stuff to me."

This finally got his attention, and Kurama stopped staring at her injuries. He turned his face back to hers. "How do you know about demons?"

She shook her head, or at least, as much as she could. "Nope, that is confidential information. Just...I know what they are and I can get this all fixed up on my own so if you would be kind enough to get me over to that tree over there," with her head, Kagome nodded back to one of the larger trees she was mostly confident was behind her "then we can stop all of this nonsense."

He smiled softly at her. "Miss..."

"Kagome, my name is Kagome."

"Kurama." He introduced. "Now, Kagome, I think the very fact that you need assistance to move several feet is cause enough to have a medic check you out."

"Fine." She relented, knowing that without explaining her situation in full there was no way to force them to cease and desist on the healer front. "But I really would enjoy having this conversation from a better position. Please?"

Kurama looked back down to her injuries, which aside from a lot of internal bleeding, Kagome was fairly certain there were a few limbs that were twisted incorrectly. She had been thrown a fair distance after the cat demon had caught her in his claws, but had not bothered to test out the limbs, hopeful it was a sprain instead of a break. She raised her arm to lay it on Kurama's knee, which was still in close proximity to her. He raised his gaze to her face. "I know this looks really bad, but I'm not crazy. They'll heal. You won't damage my body by moving me a little."

She could tell from the way he had been inspecting her wounds that Kurama knew what sort of damage her body had sustained. It was the same critical look she often got from Kaede after Kagome had started participating in the thick of more battles. The only thing that would be affected by moving her was potential some of the injuries on her abdomen, but she needed blood to flow there sooner or later.

He finally nodded, acquiescing after one last pause to consider her wounds. "Alright. Can you stand at all?"

He was not sure that this young woman truly knew the extent of the damage that littered her body, and was not yet ready to write off shock as a decent perpetrator in keeping these injuries from her awareness. However she did not appear willing to talk unless at a better vantage point, and when facing two strangers Kurama could only respect such trepidation.

She bent her arms at her side and pushed her body off the ground experimentally. Almost immediately Kurama could see an increase in blood loss, but she pushed through it, managing to raise her upper half off the ground until she was in a semi-sitting position. She gave her legs a curious look, wiggling them slightly.

Kagome was quite pleased to see she had both of her shoes still, since they were her only good pair left. She smiled up at Kurama as if to say _see, everything is just dandy_ and waved him over. He still had that cautious look on his face, and she had to take advantage of his willing participation before he rescinded it.

He stood up and walked next to her, crouching down so as to take her arm over his shoulder and help move her into a standing position. With a triumphant _aha_ Kagome managed to get both legs under her, although she could only rest her weight on one. Together they managed to shuffle over to the tree that was indeed behind where Kagome had been laid down, and twist around until she could slide into a sitting position, resting her upper half against the tree trunk. Kurama let go of her and walked a little ways in front, so he was standing in her field of view.

"Thank you." She said, truly appreciative. She felt just a little more secure from this position, and _finally_ could feel her healing kick in. She wiggled her toes again, happy to see both still moving.

Kurama nodded. "You will still need medical attention."

She smiled benignly, choosing to not fight with him anymore about that particular line of inquiry.

After a moment's pause, he said "I'm sorry that you were caught up in this fight."

She waved off his concern. "Don't fret, I should have been able to fend for myself. I just wasn't really thinking about demons today."

"So you've seen them before?"

She nodded, thinking back to the hordes she had fought in the Feudal Era, but did not say anything.

Speaking of demons...she looked over at Kurama, the question written on her face. He had felt a little more strongly of it earlier, but Kagome could still see remnants of youki all over his aura. But it also seemed as if he was trying to hide it, and she never enjoyed exposing people's secrets, especially when the only thing they had done so far was try and help.

She groaned, dropping her head against the tree trunk. Damn helpful strangers, damn modern day demons. Damn jewel, damn life. There was no way she was going to be able to sneak this past Inuyasha. Not when these two seemed insistent on helping, and there was a whole new world of supernatural occurring right in front of her eyes.

Ugh. Why couldn't she just have one normal human day?

Kurama, on the other hand, was content to have the abnormal situation occur. He had had the honor, many times over, of meeting some very remarkable individuals - it was one of the many advantages of having a lengthy past. The young lady, who was presently muttering to herself in front of him, was measuring up to be yet another person on that list. There was something just so uniquely _odd_ about her behavior. A human girl, seemingly less than powerless, who had resisted Botan's barrier and who seemed not at all surprised by the existence of demons. A human who, if not for the large and gruesome looking bruise that decorated the majority of the left side of her face, would be quite beautiful.

And that was the thing with kitsunes. They simply found themselves incapable of passing over pretty items.

For her part, Kagome was alternating between trying to talk herself out of her current situation and glaring at Kurama. The first part of her plan was going fabulously. In her head she had already healed herself and purified the smug look off of the fox's face, gotten home _well_ before Inuyasha had ever known better, and had plenty of time to enjoy her dinner with Mama. In reality she could only stare at the red head with muted fury, not for him, for he had been nothing but cordial, but at her own inability to fix her problems.

The last piece of her resistance fell as she thought once again about her uselessness, and Kagome sagged a little against the tree she was currently calling home. Kurama appeared to notice this surrender, and cocked an eyebrow curiously at her.

While she may have thought it was because he was an arrogant demon who was well aware of his own good looks, truly it was simply due to his shock at her ability to last with such injuries for so long without passing out.

She sighed. "Any chance I could bribe you to sneak me out of this park and maybe pretend you never found me in the first place?"

"I am afraid that is not the way it works." He chuckled.

"Gosh," she said "you two are such bores. No adventure in your lives."

He smiled at her gentle goading, but did not push the matter. "If you were willing to tell us how you know about the demon race then we could be on our separate ways."

It was a bit of a stretch, as far as the truth went. Kurama doubted heavily that Koenma would allow them the privilege of releasing Kagome on good faith, but it was worth an attempt.

Kagome was silent for a moment, looking contemplatively at him, but shook her head. "Well what if we compromised like civilized folk. I tell you that I clearly know about demons, agree to not press charges against your inability to contain said demon, and also to not tell anyone about this whole ordeal, and _then_ you let me go."

She was aware that it was not that they were really detaining her. Rather, it was her own damn body, unable to heal itself quickly enough, that kept her captive. But from the way they were acting, Kagome figured there was some sort of an official person who kept track of demons in this time, and that she should not have been in the area when the large, possessed cat had reared it's literal claws.

Kurama did briefly consider what she had said. "It is not so much that we are concerned that you know about demons, it is how you initially found out about them. If you were just an innocent here we could have wiped your memories and healed your injuries - given that you would let us." Kagome laughed good-humouredly at this, despite the niggling thought at the back of her mind that they even had the ability to rid her of her memories.

"Why does your group care how I found out?"

"Well," Kurama said "we need to stop the flow of information from the source, not just you."

Kagome scoffed. "Fat lot of good that'd do you."

"Pardon?"

She waved off the question. "How about _you_ tell me how you know about demons?"

"Thank you for the offer but that is not how this interaction works."

_Gods_ he was not making this easy. "Yes but imagine what it would feel like to break protocol for a change. Live on the edge Kurama, it's more fun there."

His ensuing grin was positively _filled_ with subtext. "Oh, believe me when I say I know that thrill already."

"Good!" She said, a wide smile on her face. "How about you tell me some of those stories? I know a little fox who just _love_ to know some more about his kind."

Kurama blinked. Whether that was from her abrupt change in conversation or her little tell about the amount of knowledge she carried, she was not sure. He stared at Kagome for a long moment then walked closer, kneeling in front of her so that their eyes were on similar levels. "How can you tell?"

He did look a little perturbed, but Kagome pushed through. "Nope, that is not how this works sir. You go first."

She held her hands up in a surrendering gesture at his ensuing aggravated look. "As long as it is not 'how do you know about demons' I _promise_ I will answer a question of yours after."

"What would you like to know?" His voice was gruff, and she found she liked the husky tone it took when caught off guard. Actually, she just liked catching him off guard.

Kagome considered him for a moment, during which Kurama was racking his rather vast knowledge for some way she could have inferred his species type. She had said she knew her own fox, maybe it was a specialty of the young woman's?

"What type of kitsune breed are you?" Her gentle question pulled him out of his thoughts. "I'm seeing red all the way," she gestured to his face, and Kurama smiled wryly "but it isn't what I'm sensing from you."

He nodded, filing away what she had said. "You are correct, I am not a red."

There was no real harm in letting her know, but Kurama liked keeping as much information about himself as he could a secret. Knowledge was power, and he enjoyed being the one who held it. And yet...she was presenting him with a game; she really did know a fox of her own.

"I am a silver."

Her eyes widened. "Wow. That is very cool."

Shippo was going to _kill_ her with his excitement when he heard she'd met a silver fox. The young kit, eager for his adoptive mother to know as much as she could about his kind, had given her the full run-down on kitsune breeds and customs. Or at least, as much as he knew.

It frustrated her that he did not have the chance to know more.

Kurama's gaze narrowed on Kagome at the telling admission. "Please then, tell me how you knew I was a fox demon?"

She shifted, the bark scraping against her back in a way that while not pleasant, kept her alert. "Well, you aren't really a fox demon...it is more like you're a half-breed? But not quite that either. Your youki keeps shifting, so I'm afraid I am not as impressive as I would have you believe."

He said nothing, waiting for her to continue.

"I can tell because I can sense your energy. And I can sense your energy because I am a priestess."

This time it was his face that went a little slack jawed. There had not been a functional priestess in Ningenkai in _decades_. Not one who could sense auras, and certainly not one that naturally purified barriers. "I cannot say that I sense your energy at all."

She nodded expectantly. "That is definitely a longer story than we currently have time for." As if testifying to this, Kagome leaned her head back and closed her eyes, resting her hands on her stomach. Kurama could tell that the blood was still flowing out of her wounds, not yet having clotted, and was concerned that the priestess would die on him before he had a chance to figure her out.

It would not do for this new puzzle of his to end up a permanent resident of Reikai before he had a chance to explore the intricacies of her life.

She opened her eyes again, those bright blue eyes that seemed to pierce right through his thoughts. At least, when they were focused on him and lucid enough over the blood loss. "This place you two wish to take me to...what is it?"

"You know of demons but not spirits?"

She gave him a heavy look. "Kurama."

He liked the way she talked to him as if they had known each other much longer than these last several minutes. He stood up, having had been knelt for too long, and looked down at her steadily, weighing her reaction. "Multiple planes connect there, so it's a place for spirits to go before they are sent to the afterlife. Reikai also acts like a moderator over the other two worlds, Ningenkai, here, and Makai, where demons are. Koenma - that is our boss - is acting ruler of Reikai."

He watched as her face bellied her surprise, and also her curiosity when he mentioned a world overridden with demons. An odd priestess, who by very definition was already quite spectacular.

"You have a very powerful boss then."

Before Kurama had a chance to comment Yusuke walked back into the clearing, followed by a perky girl with bright blue hair. He was a little miffed that the opportunity to grill Kagome was coming to a close, and did not expect another one quite like this to arise again, but brushed off the feeling.

"Here she is Botan."

Kagome turned her gaze to the girl, who let out a surprised gasp. "Why Yusuke! You did not make it seem so frightful. I am so sorry that it took us this long to get here!"

As she talked, she knelt down in front of Kagome, inspecting her injuries. Kagome sighed, but let her continue poking around. "Don't blame him, I told them both I don't need a healer."

"Now there, that's just completely silly-"

"It isn't." She sighed again, unsure of how to convince some strangers of her abilities. She looked over at Kurama for a little help, but the redhead seemed content to watch the situation from afar.

Botan was looking at her wounds through bright pink eyes. "I can make this much less painful for you dear."

Oh, how she wished that was the case. "You may go ahead and try."

Botan glanced at her, but Kagome was already looking away. The grim reaper nodded to herself, and set about using her abilities to fix at least some of the more major injuries.

And was promptly stopped by a light pink barrier.

"Oh my." She exclaimed. "Whatever is _that_ from?"

Kagome looked back down at this, staring at the barrier with a bit of a forlorn expression on her face. Kurama decided now was an excellent time to pipe back into the conversation. "Is that because of your purifying capabilities?"

Yusuke's gaze shot over to his. "Her what?"

Kurama motioned over to Kagome. "She is a priestess."

Botan sat back on her heels, staring at Kagome wide-eyed. "Why...that's impossible! A priestess?"

Kagome smiled wide, waving her hand. "Yup, hello there." She turned to Kurama. "And no, I don't think my powers would try to purify - Botan was it? - Botan's."

He cocked his head. "Then what is that barrier from?"

"That story that is longer than what we have time for, actually."

Botan had stood up during this conversation, pulling out an oar as she did so. "Well now, that just won't do at all. We need to get your injuries healed up real soon, and then take you to Koenma for some questions!"

She was pacing around the clearing, trying to think of some quick solution, all the while waving her oar around. This last action seemed to be weaving some sort of gate right in front of Kagome's eyes, and she could see tendrils of _air_ wrapping around each other, bending space and creating an alternate image right in front of her. Was that a _portal_?

She braced herself against the tree trunk, and started pulling herself up - much to the chagrin of everyone present, loudest of all being Yusuke, who ran over to her to give her a hand up. "You shouldn't be moving in that condition."

She accepted the shoulder he offered, only minorly guilty about the blood she was sure she was leaking on his shirt. "Don't worry about it. The same energy that is keeping Botan from healing me is going to heal me itself. I won't die."

The two stood up together, watching Botan make a portal to what Kagome could only assume was Reikai. Yusuke was looking down at her, which was quite admirable given his current position. "Yeah, but ya still hurt now, right?"

She looked up at him with wide eyes, but after a brief pause smiled gently at the young demon. "It is not too bad."

"I can see part of your rib cage."

"Yeah, I knew there wasn't supposed to be a breeze there."

He laughed, the gesture shaking the both of them. "If it turns out you're not evil, then you're quite alright."

"Ditto." She grinned, watching Botan now. "Uhm, but first...well, I _will_ be coming back from this little trip, right? There are people who will be quite concerned if I don't come home tonight."

She thought of Inuyasha, torn between anger and concern, and the giant catastrophe that would ensue should he go looking for her. She greatly appreciated his dedication to that age old promise of protection for her, but in this particular situation it would not bode well for either parties.

She felt more so than saw Kurama approaching her from the other side. He laid a hand down on her shoulder, as if trying to communicate everything Kagome noticed neither was willing to say. Thankfully, Botan spoke up, apparently finished with her portal.

"Of course, we'll have you back in a jiff!" She chirped, turning to the group. "And if your healing does not kick in, we have a great staff of healers who can stitch you up the human way."

Kagome smiled at Botan, finding that she quite liked the woman's exuberant optimism. She was certain there would be more to this visit than a quick in and out would fix, especially given the looks the two men beside her were shooting each other, but there was something nice about Botan's lack of fear. Or her keen interest in her apparently unique priestess-hood.

Whatever it was, it would have to do. Kagome was in no position to be trying to fight these three off. Besides, she was rather curious about this three world business. Who knows, maybe it could somehow help her in her quest.

So she nodded, accepting Botan's answer, and they walked through the portal, into whatever awaited them next. She only hoped that it would leave her in a better state than it found her.

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	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **Can we all appreciate this speedy update? I was going to hold off until the end of the week (while, _my_ week, which is currently centered on Wednesdays I believe) but I just couldn't. So I'm sorry if I missed anything massive whilst editing.

On another note, thank you all _so much_ for the kind words and encouragement you sent my way. I try to reply to reviews, so if you have any burning questions/comments/criticisms, please don't be afraid to talk to me :) And thank you too, to all of you who started following this story/me. It's a big morale booster!

Without further ado, chapter two~

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The first thing Kagome saw was ogres. Big, hulking ogres, and a little man sitting behind a very large desk.

Somehow, this was not how she had envisioned it.

"Out!" The man shouted - although, wait, was that a _baby_? - shooing away the ogres closest to him. "I have the team coming in."

As if on cue, the man-child, who Kagome figured must be Koenma, spotted the four of them, fresh out of the portal. He waved them over.

"There you guys are! Come in, come in. This lot is _just. leaving._"

With a few last grumbles, most of the large creatures filed past them, grumbling under their breaths. As the last one left, with an odd looking pout on his face, Yusuke walked her into the room. Kagome was pleased to note that both of her legs seemed to be working now.

He helped her over to the one chair that was situated in the center of the room, directly in front of Koenma and his intimidatingly large desk. She gulped deeply, but sat up straight, settling her hands in her lap.

"Greetings Miss Kagome, my name is Prince Koenma."

She smiled hesitantly. He didn't _seem_ awful or overbearing. "Hello there sir. It's nice to meet you."

Not that she had much of a choice in the matter, but somehow it was interesting to be here. She supposed the delayed fear response was due to the day she was having.

Koenma nodded, as if she had something he needed to agree to, and just stared at her for a moment. There was something familiar about that look, and with a start, Kagome realized he was trying to place her from somewhere. Had they met before?

She heard Yusuke shift impatiently behind her. "Yo, toddler, just get on with it. You're wasting time here."

"Yusuke! At least _try_ to keep up appearances here, I am your boss."

He scowled, glancing down at the still bleeding woman in front of him. "Why bother, when ya look like that?"

Koenma glanced down, as if just realizing he was still in his infant form. He glared at Yusuke with a reproaching look but said nothing, and with a quick _poof_ there was suddenly a teenager in his place. With a pacifier in his mouth.

Kagome had to work really hard to not let the laughter she felt in her throat peel out.

He shifted in his seat, then turned his angry gaze to look behind Kagome. "Botan! Explain this situation to me."

Botan bounced forward so that she was standing slightly beside Kagome. "Sure thing sir! Kurama and Yusuke took out the demon no problem-o, but they found this young lady in the park suffering heavy wounds. I can't seem to treat her however, and she already appears to know about the existence of demons! She also claims to be a priestess."

Kagome growled under her breath. "And _she_ doesn't like being talked about as if she isn't here." Honestly, what was the point of dragging her into this little meeting if they weren't going to talk to her?

Koenma turned to her, his face slack with surprise. Was her being a priestess _that_ big of deal? "You're right. I'm afraid my detective," he gestured to Yusuke "did not fully explain the situation to me in the field."

Kagome was not certain when Yusuke had found the time even to notify his boss, but nodded. "That's alright. But you can just ask me what you want to know."

"How is it you already know of the existence of demons? I don't have on your record here that you've encountered them...although you do live on a very potent spiritual shrine."

She could feel several gazes burrow onto the back of her skull. "Uhm...okay, is there anyway we can skip that question?"

Koenma frowned. "No, it's necessary information for me to have."

There was something about this woman in front of him...she looked so dreadfully familiar, yet from reading her history Koenma knew he had not met her. From the way the bruise on her face was clearing up however, she clearly was not just the typical teenage girl that her file would have him believe. And for her to be a priestess at that...it was extraordinary.

"I can't sir. Not without knowing I can return home safely." It was the only thing she could think to ask at the moment, still uncertain exactly what powers and authority the people in this world held. Still finding it difficult to believe what she had been told so far, not that that was much.

He looked put out, but not yet angry at her. "I can't guarantee anything, but we are not the bad guys here Miss Kagome." She frowned. Like he could assume good and bad existed in pure forms, rather than on a spectrum of good and bad decisions made by people. "I just need to know how you found out, so that I may control the breach of information. Like I mentioned, there isn't anything here on your file that suggests you should have knowledge of demons."

Something he had said earlier suddenly clicked. "Wait, did you say my file?"

Koenma nodded. "Yes, your file."

She turned around, albeit a bit painfully, to shoot Yusuke a disbelieving look. "My _file_?"

Yusuke laughed a little, amused. "Yeah, this place keeps tabs on all living beings."

"Think of it like the administrative portion of life! We need to keep track on all potential threats, otherwise it'd be a nuthouse out there!" Botan piped up, a large smile on her face.

Kagome nodded slowly, as if any of this was making sense to her. She turned back to Koenma. "Alright, I can tell you what you want to know. But I need assurances first that you won't close off my uhm...breach of information. Given that it does not cause harm to anyone."

She looked at him with big, trusting eyes, the ones she gave Inuyasha when she wanted to go home earlier than planned. Koenma wavered, not used to getting such imploring looks. Most of his staff just threatened him outright.

"As long as it is not harmful, I can promise you we won't do anything unnecesary." It was a bit of a stretch of the truth, for Koenma could do little should his father decree otherwise, but it was the best he could come up with.

Kagome mulled it over for a moment. She was in a strange place with people she didn't know, and on top of it all she was still far too injured to fight them off. She was certain that both Kurama and Yusuke were stronger than they let on, and although she could theoretically purify them both, she neither had the strength nor will to do such a thing. They had been only nice thus far, and no one had really threatened her...plus, she was in a whole other world, if what they were saying was true. Where would she go, even if she could escape? Besides, Kagome had always been the type to trust first and figure out the complications later. There was not really a lot to decide.

"Alright, thank you sir."

Koenma beamed, happy she should choose to comply. He was not fond of using other means to get folks to give him what he needed.

"Perfect! Then, please, proceed."

It was actually a difficult question for Kagome to answer, since there was not a clear place to start. At least, not without staying here far longer than necessary. "You want to know how I came to learn about demons, correct?"

He nodded.

"When I was fifteen a centipede demon attacked me. I had been trying to find my cat, which is a bit comical when you think of what happened, in the shrine's old well house. We never really had much reason to go in there, so it was quite dim and dusty and it took me a moment to realize I was even being attacked at first. But then she came out of the well and started screaming at me and biting at my hip." Kagome rested a hand gently on the old scar, reminiscent. She had not thought of the beginning in quite some time.

"A centipede demon?" Yusuke asked, his face scrunched up in confusion. "Wouldn't they be sorta...er, tiny?"

Kagome laughed, thinking in this moment of Myouga. She shook her head, not bothering to turn around to look at him as she answered. "I would have to guess she was about the size of a semi-truck, maybe a bit longer? It's been so long now that the details are a bit hazy."

Koenma was stroking his non-existent beard, thinking. "Well, there has not been a full sized centipede demon in many hundreds of years, at least, none on record."

Hmm, go figure. "No, that makes sense. See, Mistress Centipede, she wasn't from her. Or rather, she was not from now."

She sighed, making a prompt decision- it really was not an easy story to tell quickly. She turned to Botan. "Can you travel back to uhm...Ningenkai was it?"

Botan looked from Kagome to Koenma, then back again. "It is not a problem for me to do...why?"

She had not wanted to involved him without having the chance to explain it herself first, but sometimes things worked out differently than planned. "My friend, the one I mentioned earlier, is probably at my house right now. He'll cause a scene if I'm not home by sunset, and I think this story is going to take a bit longer than that."

Koenma nodded at Botan's inquisitive look. "Go ahead, you can tell him to wait."

Kagome shook her head at this. "Uh, that won't work either. He is a big part of this story, and if you could bring him here that would probably be best."

Inuyasha was most certainly _not_ going to make this easy on her, but she knew that if she was going to be telling their story to strangers, he'd like to be there. So that he could at least yell at her a couple of times and make a scene of resisting her decision. Also, not that she felt unsafe here, but having Inuyasha with her always strengthened her resolve.

Koenma, who had suddenly come to realize that this was not going to be a problem with an easy fix, settled into his seat a little more. "Alright, Botan, go bring back Miss Kagome's friend."

"Sure thing sir! Just at your shrine then?" She asked Kagome.

"Yeah, he said he would wait for me at the house. But first..." Kagome looked down, as if something would suddenly pop out at her and make this easy, but all she could come up with was her shirt. And she had _liked_ it too. She found a tear easily enough, the thing was practically shredded as it was, and tore off a piece of her top. "Take this with you? It has my scent on it and Inuyasha will come along easier if he knows I'm here."

Kurama was more detail-oriented and had to ask. "Inuyasha? Dog demon?"

She looked over her shoulder at the red head. "Yeah. Like I said, he is a big part of this story."

Botan took the scrap hesitently. "Oh dear. Dog demon's are _terribly_ possesive."

Kagome laughed. Minor understatement. "He won't do anything to you Botan, do not worry. I would go myself, but I have a feeling that isn't allowed."

Before anyone had a chance to solidify her thoughts about her imprisonment, Botan nodded. "Alrighty! I'll be back in a quick second! Don't go giving away any good stories while I'm gone."

This time the portal was a lot quicker to make, and before Kagome could really see it, Botan had hopped through and was gone. The ensuing silence was a bit deafening, but she had nothing to say until Inuyasha was back.

Oh dear, this _was _quite a mess, wasn't it?

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While they had waited for Botan to reappear, Koenma had sent one of the ogres for some more chairs, and a new shirt for Kagome since hers was basically in shambles. Luckily her wounds had mostly healed, and with the new top on - a rather sensible black shirt that Kagome did not think to ask about - it was barely discernable that she had been in a fight in the first place. Well, less of a fight and more of an ambush.

In the meantime Koenma had called in the rest of his detective group and begun to explain a little bit about what it was they did. Apparently keeping the three worlds seperate and a secret from regular ol' humans was a big deal and a lot of work. Kagome had then been introduced to a small and brusque demon by the name of Hiei, and an overly cheerful Kuwarbara. It was a lot to take in, so Kagome was just practicing the art of 'fake-it-til-you-make-it' and was going along with everything spectacularly.

She was just putting her hair back up for the fifth time, the quiet really getting to her, and watching Yusuke resettle into his chair, when a portal popped up to her left. She heard the two enter before she saw them.

"You bitch! Whatever you've done to Kagome I swear to gods-"

"Oh shut it, I _told_ you, she is fine and she was the one asking for you."

A growl, and then, "as fucking if she is fine, I can smell her blood."

Kagome smiled embarassingly at the wide grin Yusuke was sending her way. She turned to the side and watched Inuyasha walk through the gateway. "I'm here Inuyasha, don't give Botan grief."

A white blur strode into the room and over to her. "Kagome, what's wrong, what happened?"

He _did_ look awful intimidating, she decided with a smile, with the Tessaiga and flaming red robes, and streaming silver hair. She looked at him affectionately, laying a gentle hand on his forearm. "I'm okay. I'm okay." She repeated, catching his eye. "Everything is okay now."

"Feh," he looked over her with worried eyes, running a hand over her cheek "doesn't seem like it.".

She tuned out the curious looks she was getting and just focused on her friend. "I was attacked earlier by a demon but you know how it works now, I'm safe and healthy and everything is good." She soothed.

She knew he worried about her, particularly whenever she was injured without him there. Despite having had started learning how to properly defend herself many months ago, Inuyasha still fretted whenever they entered battled together. If he had his way he would be strong enough to protect the group all on his own, but they knew realistically that that would never work. Still, he must have been sitting impatiently at her shrine for while, judging by his antsy look, and Kagome sympathised with the feelings that must be running through him.

"I don't like you getting attacked at all."

She smiled. "I know. But you couldn't have known it would happen, not here."

He nodded, finally accepting what she had said. He straightened up, sniffing the air experimentally and looking around. "Where the fuck are we?"

They had rearranged the room a little while Botan was gone, bringing in several seats and shifting them around so that they were arranged semi-circular around Koenma's desk. Yusuke was lounging on the sofa to the far right, where Botan had walked over to and perched on the arm, and Kurama was on the opposite side of the room, sitting in an arm chair much like Kagome's. Hiei was leaning against the wall impassively, although his eyes never left Inuyasha's, and Kuwabara was sitting stiff-backed next to Yusuke, on the opposite side of the grim reaper. Kagome was still mainly in the center of the room, but at least now she felt a little less put on the spot.

She shuffled to the side of the rather large seat and gestured for Inuyasha to sit down, sending him her best reassuring face. He huffed a little and perched on the arm, much as Botan was doing, and glanced around the room, not sure who exactly to glare at first.

"So, I found out a lot today that might be a bit hard to accept." She prefaced, deciding that caution was the best idea.

Inuyasha turned his glare to her. "Okay?"

"This here is Rekai, where spirits reside?" She looked over at Yusuke, who nodded encouragingly. "There are three worlds, one for humans, one for demons, and one for spirits. That's why we've never really encountered demons in my time."

Kurama sat up a little straighter as he listened to her explain the situation to her friend. Her time? He was piecing things together from the way she was talking and how her hanyou friend was dressed, but surely that could not be possible...

Inuyasha furrowed his eyebrows, not understanding any of this fully. "But you got attacked."

She nodded. "I believe that wasn't supposed to happen." She had to assume so at least, since she had not seen any for the last three years.

Koenma spoke up. "That was a breach. Normally Ningenkai is purely human."

Inuyasha turned to stare at the young ruler, his eyes narrowed. "Well ya fucked that up dipshit."

He had leaned into Kagome a little, his entire stance warning the Spirit Detective group that he was prepared to defend her at a moment's notice. Really, he took the whole protective thing a touch too far.

"Inuyasha, it was a mistake, they happen. Anyway," she continued at his dubious expression "Kurama and Yusuke found me." She gestured to the two as she said their names. "They helped me here and explained a couple of things about their work. They're Spirit Detectives, and they work for Koenma." She then pointed over to the ruler, smiling at him as she did so.

She really had wanted to be able to explain this all to him without anyone else here, since she knew he would not ask as many questions under the presence of so many, and finding out this way must feel like an ambush. She knew she would have to re-explain everything to the group once she went back, so it was only necessary that he go along with telling their story for now.

She could see that he was tense, but was trying his hardest to trust her. "Why couldn't you come and tell me all of this at home?"

"Well, Koenma is the ruler of Reikai, and he needs to make sure that the three worlds stay separate. So, in order to do that, he needs to have my information about how I know about demons."

Which, given that her best friend was a half-demon, was pretty clear.

"Fuck that, we're leaving. No damned Spirit whatevers are going to threaten us."

He stood up, moving to pull out the Tessaiga as he strided over to Koenma, eyes blazing. The young ruler shrunk back in his seat, able to feel the raw power flowing off of Inuyasha. Kagome followed him, pulling on his arm and keeping him from causing more damage than good. "No, Inuyasha, stop! They haven't threatened me."

Well, there was the reaction she was expecting. It did take him longer than usual to rush to attack, so he must've been pretty concerned about her.

He turned an incredulous look back on her. "Wench, have you just been giving away our secrets _for free_?!"

She hated sometimes that he picked up on her idioms. She sighed, feeling the wounds on her chest stretch, and shook her head exasperatedly. "No, that is why I had Botan go and get you."

"Well they ain't getting anything from me."

"Inuyasha, they just need the information. They don't want to attack us, they are not the enemy."

This was only a half truth as Kagome had no idea if they wanted to attack her or not. Particularly since she had yet to drop the big news on Koenma. But from what she had seen this group was nothing but kind to her, if not a little strict, and it wasn't as if telling them the whole story was going to do anything. They couldn't even take the shards from her if she had wanted to give them up, and Inuyasha knew that.

She looked at him beseechingly. "There is no harm in telling them Inuyasha. Just enough so that they can rest easy that we aren't endangering innocent lives."

"How do you know that you idiot, they could be _lying _to you and you'd just believe them!"

He did however take his hand off his sword and turn his body more towards her. She shifted a little, trying to find a comfortable position to stand in, and reached forward once more to grasp his shoulder reassuringly. "Maybe. But I don't think they are, and in the meantime we have nothing to lose. Attacking them now or attacking them a couple of hours later makes no difference. Please, Inuyasha, you know I would not make this decision lightly."

He growled at her, but didn't argue. "I don't trust them."

"I know. But you trust me, hmm?" She said it as more of a question, asking him once again for his approval. The group's safety always came first, and her and Inuyasha were the only ones here to make this choice. She wouldn't do anything that disrupted their mission or risked their lives.

He sighed. "Feh, dunno why." She continued to stare up at him, and he sighed again, this time resignedly. "Okay, fine."

She smiled, relieved. "Good. It's your story too you know."

He didn't say anything about it, suddently noticing her stiff stance. "Are you still hurt?"

Even as he asked, he was moving her back to their earlier seat. As she sat down with a wince, she nodded. "Just a little bit. This isn't any worse than training with Sango."

He nodded but continued to stare at her worriedly. He had sat back down on the arm of the chair, and Kagome leaned into him, resting her side on his body. The constant contact was the only way she could think to reassure him. She turned her gaze back to Koenma, tuning the rest of the world in. The demi-god was staring at her wide eyed, but quitely, waiting for the danger to pass.

"Sorry about that sir. It is a lot for us to catch up on."

He nodded slowly. "It's okay I guess. Although I have to say, I really need to hear the full story now."

Internally, Koenma was panicking. A dog demon? In Ningenkai? A dog demon with enough power to rattle his detectives - he had felt Yusuke's powers rising in challange to Inuyasha's. His father was going to have his _head_ for this. It was going to be such a mess to clean up.

To her left Kagome heard Botan huff. "Yeah, so do I. I had to deal with that abrasive jerk."

"Please, do not insult my friend." She warned. It was fine to accept that he was difficult to deal with, but the ferry girl did _not_ know Inuyasha at all, or understand where he was coming from. Kagome placed her hand on her friend's knee, gripping it reassuringly.

Botan turned a sheepish face to Kagome. "Sorry."

Kuwabara let out a shaky laugh. "Wow, that was _intense_. What are you two, warriors or something? Y'er so serious."

She laughed off Kuwabara's question. "I wouldn't call us that. Like I said earlier, I'm a priestess, and Inuyasha here is a dog-demon."

Inuyasha growled threateningly. Hey, he had never promised to play nice, just to play along.

Kurama was looking at Inuyasha's robes with a calculating look in his eyes. "You are a demon living in Ningenkai then?"

"Keh."

Kagome smiled at him, but spoke to Koenma. " As I was saying, three years ago I was attacked, but it wasn't by a demon from this time. I was pulled down my well-house and into the past, five hundred years before any of this had ever happened."

She saw him tense, and straightened up herself. It was going to be a _long _evening.

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Yusuke was not the smartest detective to ever grace the ranks of Reikai. Sometimes it took him a bit longer to grasp the curious aspects of the three worlds, particularly when all of that physics stuff started getting involved. Still, he did not consider himself dumb, just slower to process.

But _time travel_? C'mon, that was just unfair.

Kagome had just begun explaining her most recent battle in the past, something about their arch nemesis attacking the village she had come to call home. Her entire story was just plain unbelievable, if not for the incredulous looks on all beings in the room over the age of two hundred. Once Kagome had mentioned this jewel business, Koenma had gone all slack jawed and goo-goo eyed, and fuck, Kurama had said more this evening than any other debriefing.

Even Hiei appeared interested, although if you didn't know the guy like Yusuke did, it was hard to tell.

It had been several hours since the caustic dog demon had settled down and Kagome had started her story. And what a story it was. Travelling to the past, fighting hordes and hordes of demons for some sort of magical jewel with unprecedented powers. Yusuke had nothing but respect for the young priestess, put in a situation that many would have run screaming from.

Still. Time. Travel. He simple could not get over the fact that it even existed.

"It wasn't a puppet this time," Kagome was saying, clearing her throat as she thought back to the latest fight against Naraku "it was really him. He was relentless and strong and we weren't ready."

Inuyasha's gaze was downcast during this particular part of the story. He was still angry with himself over what came next.

"We just weren't ready." She repeated to herself, her eyes glazing over. "One of his tentacles shot forward and...it caught me. I _am _the weakest link in our group, and an easy target with the jewel shards. I was dying before I even knew I had been hit."

Koenma was leaning over his desk, eager to hear the story but absolute agahst at what had happened. "And...?"

She shrugged, focusing back on him. "It was bad. I could feel his poison in my body and around the shards, and I could feel myself getting faint. It was hard to focus on much of anything."

It _had_ been awful. All she had been able to feel was Naraku, everywhere around her, and in that moment she had lost all hope. She had lost the jewel shards and her friends, her past and her future, but worst of all she had lost her responsibility in thsi world and she had felt utterly _destroyed_. She did not relay this all to the group however, and she did not want Inuyasha to dwell on it more than necessary. He blamed himself for not getting to her sooner. But it had been him that had brought her back.

"I heard Inuyasha's voice then. He was _screaming_ at me." She smiled up at the hanyou fondly. "And it sort of woke me up. It gave me that little piece of light I needed to purify Narakua and his appendege. Apparently it worked well enough to send him scrambling back to whatever lair he hides in to recuperate."

She rolled her shoulders, stiff from sitting in the same position for so long. They were so close to the end of her story thus far, and with it Kagome could feel the familiar sense of apprehension settle in on her. What were they going to do, next time when Naraku confronted them? He was sure to stabalize and become stronger, to come up with a new plan and more catastrophic ways of hurting her family in the past.

She could only focus though on what problem was presented in front of her, and continued with a shaky breath. "I was still dying however. We humans don't take to stab wounds terribly well, unfortunately. That was when the jewel shards that I had did something incredible."

She lay a hand atop her heart, where as sure as her heart was beating there lay something extra. "The chunk that we had - and it couldn't have been larger than a quarter of it - shot into me. Right into the wound. I was healed before I knew it and you couldn't even tell that I had been hurt in the first place. All of my pain was gone."

Inuyasha talked, for the first time in quite some while. "You shouldn't have had to feel it in the first place."

She leaned into him. "I am a willing part of this battle Inuyasha. That means accepting the good and the bad bits."

He shrugged, but she could tell he didn't agree. At least, not deep down. She raised her gaze back to Koenma's, who had been looking all star struck since she had first mentioned the jewel. He had not said anything though as to _why_ that was. "So that's really it. That was about a month ago, and so far we haven't heard from Naraku. As far as these shards go, whenever we get a new one they just join the old ones in my chest. It appears to be the theme. They keep me from dying...at least, that's our theory."

Yusuke's eyebrows drew together, contemplative. "So...does this jewel thing _want_ to be in you? You said it was in your hip when you were first attacked."

Kagome shook her head. "I don't know. I'm their protector though, and I think the jewel is better complete than it is in fragments. For all I know, Naraku's shards are doing the same thing for him - it does not matter if it is tainted or not."

Kurama finally spoke up. "The Shikon Jewel is _alive_, there are souls constantly enagaged in battle within it. Even in the fragments. Or so legend goes."

Kagome shot him a curious look. "Legend?"

Koenma nodded hurriedly, deciding that he had waited long enough. "Botan, pull up the images."

As Botan, just as oddly eager as Koenma had been during this whole story-time thing, jumped up and began working on some magical imaging device - Kagome had begun naming things here that she did not want to ask about - Koenma kept talking. "There is this legend that has been told for centuries in all three worlds, about a group of travellers pulled together by circumstances, who defeated a terrible evil and saved everyone from falling victim to a tained shikon jewel. The jewel itself has it's own legend, which I'm sure you've heard," Kagome nodded as the demi-god paused here "but the legend about the the shard hunting group is just _fantastical_."

Kagome blinked slowly as an image appeared on the screen. It was copied from some sort of scroll, the paint faded and discoloured, yet the faces were remarkably accurate. "Oh my."

Her face was decidely more fierce than Kagome ever thought she could pull off, but the similarities were uncanny. Inuyasha grinned, staring at his part of the portrait.

Yusuke squinted at the screen. "That's you."

She nodded. "I suppose it is."

"You're in a legend?"

She turned wide eyes to him. "It's the first I've heard of it."

Inuyasha started laughing. "Hey, look, even the runt is here." He was pointing to Shippo, who was encased in flaming fox fire next to Kagome.

She shot him a dirty look. "Inuyasha." She warned. But upon closer inspection she could not resist her own giggle. "Ginta and Haku are on here."

"Feh, as if those wolves would ever be useful."

"Well _clearly_ they are, or they would not have made it on to the page."

Koenma agreed. "The wolf tribe was there, as was Lord Sesshomaru. But this group here," and at this, he circled the central six figures which Kagome knew to be her travelling companions "were the most critical."

He sighed, staring at the image with awe on his face. "An incredibly powerful half-demon who protected any innocent life that came his way, a deadly demon-slayer who fought for justice, a dangerous monk with a wind tunnel in his hand, a cat demon who graced the skies in flame, a fox demon who had been born a fighter, and one of the most magnificent priestesses of her her time to keep the jewel pure and safe from the evils that sought it. The legend speaks highly of you all."

Kagome stared at the portrait wordlessly for a few more moments before turning to Koenma. "So does this mean we win?"

He shook his head almost immediatly. "I'm afraid the timelines are more confusing than that. Right now you have indeed won, at least according to a myth that has been passed on for five hundred years. Not much is known in way of accurate detailing. However, even a minor change in the past can alter the events without changing the story. You could defeat him but you may die while doing so, or perhaps another group vanquishes Naraku much later in time."

She deflated against her seat. "Oh, I see. I figured it would not be that easy."

"But _still_," Botan said, her eyes alight upon both Kagome and Inuyasha "what you have accomplished even so far is incredulous, you're heroes."

Inuyasha puffed up a little at the praise, but Kagome found she couldn't find the same pride in the statement. She was still stuck not knowing anything, whether or not her friends lived, if she could stay in the past or continue travelling back and forth, if Naraku had a weakness they could exploit or even if they would finish this battle at all. She had destroyed the jewel and caused such mayhem. There was nothing to celebrate, not yet.

She glanced at Koenma. "So you understand then, sir, how important it is that Inuyasha and I be allowed to continue on as we have. There is still a lot we must do."

He agreed in a heartbeat. "Of _course_, anything for your group."

She smiled brightly. "Oh thank you sir, very much."

Koenma beamed right back at her. _The_ shikon priestess, sitting here in front of him. And she was so kind and respectful! Nothing like his Spirit Detectives.

Speaking of which...

He turned to Yusuke, who was staring off into space. He _was_ trying to comprehend this whole situation, but to Koenma it merely looked as if he was glossing over. "Yusuke! Come now, show some respect! I have a new mission for you."

Kagome glanced over at the youth. "Oh no don't have any respect. At least, not because of this legend nonsense."

Yusuke just waved off her concern, long accustomed to dealing with the toddler's annoyances. "What mission?"

"Your team is to protect Miss Kagome during her time spent in this era. It would not bode well for something to happen to her whilst she is here, especially if today is anything to go by."

Yusuke just shrugged, unconcerned about what it was Koenma sent him to do. "Sure, sounds good."

Kagome was much less complacent. "No, Koenma sir, that's too much. I have been doing just fine so far and you don't need to worry your detectives over me. Now that I know I need to be cautious, today's events won't repeat themselves."

"I'm protection enough." Inuyasha grumbled from his perch beside her. Kagome shot him an angry look, knowing he was well aware of her issues on being treated like a child. It was the very reason that she had pulled Sango aside those many months ago to ask to start her own training, and the reason that she could handle herself in a battle now. She _was not useless._

Koenma waved off their complaints. "Nonsense. I am not letting you go unprotected for even a moment in our time. Plus you'll need to keep us updated on your travels! You know, for administrative purposes and all."

Personally, Kagome suspected that the godling just wanted to be kept abreast of the living legends, but she couldn't find a way to call him out on it. She would just have to figure it out later; she was positively exhausted as it was.

He sent looks to the rest of his detectives. "We will go over details later, but I assume you are all fine with this new assignment."

Hiei let out a typical sound of noncommittal, Kuwabara agreed with gusto, and Kurama nodded silently, quite content to have an opportunity to study the latest development. Overall, Kagome did not see an easy way out, and she sighed deeply into Inuyasha's side.

Guards on this side of the well, guards on the other side of the well. She was the best damn protected teenager in all of Japan, surely.

"Can we go now?" She mumbled into his shirt, closing her eyes. "I think everything just hit me."

He wrapped an arm around her upper torso, leaning down to do so, and pulled her tight against his chest. He looked up at Botan. "Oi, you. Get us home. We've played along for long enough."

All of the ferry girl's earlier annoyance with the dog demon was gone in light of recent events. She smiled chipperly. "Why it is certainly getting to be quite late! I'll get on that then, if that's okay Koenma sir?" She looked at her boss first, for despite her awe at the beings in front of her, there was always protocol to follow.

Koenma nodded. "Sounds fine. Just make sure to give Kagome a way to get in touch with us when she returns."

She smiled. "Can do sir! I'll just pass along Yusuke's number then."

The detective stood up. "Hey! How do you even have my number?"

She grinned but did not say anything on the matter. "I will back in a quick sec to bring the rest of you home." She began spinning a portal, gesturing for Inuyasha and Kagome to follow her. With a quick poof and a disappearing trio, they were gone.

It was quiet in Koenma's office, each individual heavy in their own thoughts. Suddenly Kuwabara spoke up. "So wait, they're the same people in this picture?"

Koenma sighed deeply and Yusuke grinned to himself. See, he wasn't the dimmest bulb in all of Reikai.

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	3. Chapter 3

**AN: **I can't help myself! I don't even know if how I ended this was anywhere near decent, but I did it anyway. I read this Inuyasha and Kagome fic today (that was cruelly unfinished!) and just reminded myself how much I love the two of them together. They're such great complements! *squeals*

As some of you (lovely, lovely reviewers) have pointed out, I haven't announced a pairing. I don't really plan to - although feel free to send me your thoughts or guesses on it! At least, not until closer to the end, where it becomes pretty obvious. Isn't anticipation _fun_? No? No takers?

So, once again, here you all go! I hope you enjoy this little bit of non-plot fun-ness.

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Kagome awoke to the soft chattering of birds and gentle murmurs outside, and in this manner she knew she was no longer in the twentieth century. She opened her eyes slowly, allowing the gentle wash of light gradually adjust her vision to the new day, and turned sideways. Right, this was Kaede's hut. Inuyasha had picked up her pack last night and headed straight here, stopping only briefly to allow Kagome to say her goodbyes to her mother.

Well...that was considerate of him.

She _had_ been falling asleep on his shoulder during their trip home, and by the time she had the chance to give Mama a quick hug, Inuyasha was practically supporting her whole body. She must have agreed to come back however, since she was dressed in her night wear. Inuyasha would never even try to change her, too caught between embarrassment and annoyance - plus Kagome could vaguely recall shuffling through her bag last night for the outfit. She just didn't remember that all this had occurred _here_ specifically.

Kagome sat up and yawned, stretching her arms behind her head and arching her back until she heard a very satisfying _pop_. The murmurs outside ceased for a moment, and then the front door of the hut swung open.

"Mama!" Shippo shouted, bounding over to her and, with a big leap, crashing into her midsection. He had heard her get up. "You're awake!"

Shippo had taken to calling her this about a year ago, after a particularly brutal attack on the group involving a lot of unconscious bodies. Kagome's had been one of them. She had woken up in a similar manner, the young kit curled up on her abdomen, muttering to himself through big, heaving sobs that he couldn't lose another parent. Ever since then, Kagome had taken the role more seriously. Shippo deserved the best she could give him.

"Hey there darling," she wrapped her arms around his small body, curling into the hug "it's good to see you."

He smiled up at her, his arms around her. "Inuyasha let you sleep in. He said you needed the rest."

She frowned to herself. "Did he say anything else about last night?"

Shippo shook his head. "Nope, he just went and sulked in a tree."

Kagome laughed softly. She was certain that Inuyasha was indeed sitting on a branch somewhere, but he was likely just ruminating on everything they had been told and had told last night. It was kind of him to wait until she could share her point of view though. "Well c'mon then. Let's go get breakfast and later, I have a very cool story to tell you."

He grinned. "Okay!" He let Kagome keep him in her grip as she got up, but made sure to let his weight rest on his own feet. He had grown a lot during the three years since she had first met him, and came up to just above Kagome's hip - sitting perched on her shoulder was impractical now.

She ran a hand through her hair, trying to work out some of the grosser tangles she had accumulated over the night, wondering if Inuyasha was up to letting her shower before they left. Shippo appeared to read her mind, twisting out of her arms and over to the giant yellow backpack that was leaning in the corner. "Inuyasha said that there was gonna be a spring somewhere at the end of today's trip so to not make a fuss." He picked up her regular outfit, the black, skin-tight fighting suit a big change from the green uniform she used to traipse around in, and handed it to her.

Kagome smiled at him. "Wow that was nice of him."

Shippo nodded sagely. "That's why we all thought you were hurt pretty bad."

Despite the brave face he was putting forward, she could see the worry in his eyes. Taking the uniform from him, Kagome crouched down so that she could look Shippo straight on. "Hun, I am okay now." He looked suddenly quite somber, searching her face for any hint of a lie. "I'm practically indestructible, hey?"

He nodded, but cast his eyes downwards.

"I'm not dying."

He didn't say anything for a minute, and spoke to the floor when he did. "You have to keep coming back."

Kagome took his face in her hands, gently guiding his gaze back to hers. "I will. For as long as I am allowed to Shippo, I will come back to you."

They all knew that at the end of the journey, it was not up to her whether she stayed here or was forced back into her own time. Kagome didn't dwell on this often though, since there was little her powers could change about what the magic that sent her here did. For now, she was guaranteed a little bit more time with her friends.

Shippo sighed deeply, letting go of the anxiety he had been feeling for the last few days, and smiled bravely at Kagome. "Okay."

"Okay." She repeated, bending down to lay a soft kiss on his forehead. "Now why don't you go pass along the message of my longevity to Sango and Miroku, and I will meet you outside."

He nodded, blowing out a deep breath to expel the lingering apprehension from of his body. "Alright!"

He grinned at her, and then bounded out of the hut, throwing open the door and loudly declaring that Inuyasha was a giant dog turd who couldn't be trusted. Kagome laughed out loud as the door swung shut, and all she could hear were the muffled responses of her other two friends. Poor Inuyasha was going to get the brunt of their annoyance, just for being lenient on her.

She _did _appreciate it though. Going over everything had taken _forever _last night, and it had spent a great deal of her energy. Dwelling on all of the events that had led them here was fine, but to then try and see where they would go after? It was vexing, not having a decent plan, and she didn't care to share her discomfort about it. There were still a fair amount of shards out there that did not belong to their group or to Naraku, but that number was slowly dwindling. She was nervous and frustrated, but so was everyone else, and rather than talk about a situation that had no solution, they just let it hang over their heads, weighing more and more each day.

For the first time in weeks however she was feeling refreshed. Kagome pulled the top half of the suit on, taking a deep breath as the collar pushed past her head. Maybe it had to do with the knowledge of demons in her time and the possibility of this all ending, of the solidification that there _was_ an ending, even if it did not go well for them. At least it would be over. She slipped into the pants - it was a nice outfit that Sango had instructed her on how to make, and a lot better equipped for moving in than her old uniform had been - and tied back her hair. Walking over to her pack, she pulled out the last piece of her daywear, a light shift that tied in the middle with the aid of a sash. It was easily removed should a battle occur suddenly, and acted much like Sango's kimono did; giving Kagome a demure appearance should it prove necessary to hide her fighting experience. Not that she was in any way on the same caliber as Sango, but nevertheless.

Time to face the proverbial music then. Kagome opened the door and walked out into the light.

The sun blinded her for a moment, and through squinted eyes Kagome made out the blurry forms of her friends. Inuyasha really _had _let her sleep in; it had to be near noon already! Everyone was sitting around a fire pit nearby, cooking what looked like soup. Kagome blinked a couple of times to clear her vision and focused her gaze on Miroku first. "Hey there!" She greeted cheerfully.

"Good morning Miss Kagome." He smiled and rose off of his seat, walking to face her. "It is great to see you healthy and happy, as usual."

She beamed at the monk. "Thanks Miroku. It's good to see you guys too. How have things been?"

She had only been gone for the weekend, but a lot could happen during those few days. Especially if Inuyasha already had plans to move out.

"We've caught tale of some unusual demon activity west of here." They didn't waste time in simple pleasantries, not when the only thing anyone ever truly was asking about was Naraku and the jewel.

Sango, who had been sitting closest to the fire, stood up and walked over so that she was next to Miroku. "It isn't much, but now we have a direction at least."

Kagome nodded. "It is plenty."

She could see Sango inspecting her face closely, and Miroku had yet to make a perverted comment to her. Kagome smiled sheepishly. "Gosh, did Inuyasha say I was dying?"

"Not exactly, but you know how he acts. He only sulks like this when something big has happened." Sango said, her eyes returning to Kagome's once she was certain there was nothing critical about her condition.

Kagome laughed. "Well I guess you can say something big _did_ happen, but it isn't a bad thing. Still, I think it's a better tale for the end of the day, not the middle. Are we leaving soon?"

Miroku nodded. "You should grab a bite now, since I believe Shippo ran off to go call Inuyasha a rat-bastard. They will surely join us quickly."

_Heavens_, that kit was picking up some Inuyasha's more unfortunate qualities. Kagome took a deep breath in, inhaling the crisp Warring States' air, and headed over to where the soup was simmering.

As she walked she could feel two pairs of eyes following her.

She quietly took a bowl and scooped some soup into it. It wasn't the most appetizing thing to eat upon first waking, but she was grateful for the warm food to give her energy for the day. They had been on worse rations before, and anything was better than eating that weird boiled broth that Sango made when supplies were low. Kagome sat down on one of the logs that encircled the fire pit and blew on her lunch to cool it down. She did all of this while maintaining a perfect air of silence, but there was only so much _staring _one could endure.

"_Guys_." Kagome whined, turning her gaze back up to her friends, who were still standing. "I'm fine."

Really, she loved that all of her family here was so concerned about her well-being. She loved that they worried about her so much that they refused to take her own word on her health. She did. But trying to convince everyone that she was not in danger any_more_ without taking them step by step through the day she had had was difficult.

Sango stayed quiet, although her face softened, and Miroku just shrugged embarrassedly. "We know. It's just a difficult change to get used to."

Kagome raised a hand so it rested on her chest, over her heart. She nodded solemnly. "I know."

Sango sighed, her eyes clouded as she studied her friend. Kagome was the glue that held this group together. She was the only reason that after three years of this futile struggle they could face each day with a little bit of optimism. Having the reality of death thrown in your face like that was harrowing, even if they had faced it many times before.

"But," she continued "there isn't much to be done about it now! So come on, I know I can't be the only one eating here."

Sango shared a look with Miroku, a sort of helpless smile, and the two made their way over to the campfire.

"Can you at least give us a hint of this great tale you have in store for us Miss Kagome?" Miroku asked, picking up his previously abandoned bowl.

Kagome smiled slyly over her soup, her eyes sparkling. "Oh, I don't know, it may be _too_ intriguing to just stop with a hint."

He grinned. "But I can that you're yearning to tell me anyway."

She let the comment turn over in her head once or twice, knowing Miroku was right. She was just dying to get her friends' ideas on everything. "Well let's just say I now know where all the demons in my world went."

Sango gasped. "Really?" At Kagome's answering smile, the demon slayer asked, "Then, you did run into one?"

Kagome nodded. "Yeah, that was the unfortunate part. But it's really an interesting story - just terribly long I'm afraid."

Miroku bobbed his head decidedly. "Alright, well I will just have to anticipate it then."

"Mhmmm." Kagome spoke around a big spoonful of soup. Now that she had grown used to the idea of lunch for breakfast, it was delicious, and she was starving. When had she eaten last?

She didn't have long to think about this however for she could already hear the muffled argument fast approaching the little clearing. She cocked her head, making out at least two _dog-turds_ and one responding _shit head_. "Ah, we will be leaving soon then."

Sango chuckled. "One cannot stay Inuyasha's patience for long."

Miroku shot the two girls a deadpanned look. "He has patience?"

Their ensuing laughter was not the most calming sound for Inuyasha to walk in on, but Kagome would be damned if the look on his face, their amusement positively _deafening_ as they spotted him, wasn't funny. His ears swiveled, lying flat against his skull, and Kagome quieted. She almost felt bad.

He looked over at her, eyes blazing in a steadfast glare, causing a few more giggles to erupt from her chest.

Almost.

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"Wow."

Kagome nodded.

"_Three_ worlds?"

She nodded again, this time accompanied by a yawn. The only light in their camp was from the fire, the sky too clouded to be of much use, and she could feel her eyelids drooping.

"That's just-"

"Amazing!" This was from Shippo, who was apparently entirely unaffected by the day's travel. Inuyasha had ridden the group hard, still upset about this morning's incident. Kagome couldn't find it in herself to regret the small bit of good humor her friends had gotten from it however, so they had endured it without complaint.

"I was going to say incredulous, but that works as well." Sango said, a small smile on her face.

"Feh, it wasn't much to look at."

Inuyasha was sitting with his arms crossed and his shoulders hunched, everything in his posture annoyed and defensive. Kagome shot him a small look of apology. She _was_ sorry that he had to feel insulted by their behavior, but he knew that there was no malice behind it. He met her eyes begrudgingly, a mutual understanding passing over them. "The portal was pretty cool though." He added, as if it was only an afterthought.

She nodded. "The entire day was surreal."

It _had _been difficult to comprehend in the aftermath, once she was rested and away from Reikai and the Spirit Detectives. But, Kagome had always had a knack for accepting the unbelievable - she had been pulled down a time-travelling well when she was fifteen for heaven's sake! - and she wasn't too troubled by this latest turn of events.

At least, not by the supernatural aspect of it. The new _people_ however, were a little bit trickier.

"Well worth the wait I would say." Miroku told her.

She smiled. "Right!"

They sat in contemplative silence for a moment, Shippo jittering anticipatedly in her lap, until Sango broke the quiet once again. "And these people you met...the detectives. They're the good guys?"

Kagome shrugged. "I don't know for sure, but they have only been good to me so far. I don't have any reason to distrust them."

"And one's a fox!" Shippo exclaimed, excited. Kagome had made sure to include this little tidbit of information when she was telling her part of the story, up until Inuyasha had arrived. She had known the idea of another kitsune in her reach would bring some joy to the young cub.

"Yes Shippo, he is. Sort of." She cocked her head. "Well, I will definitely have to get the whole story from him and then I'll tell you about it."

"But a silver!"

She hugged him closer, grinning into his hair.

"I don't trust 'em." Inuyasha grumbled, thinking back to the panic he had felt when had first reached Kagome. Anyone who just let her sit there and bleed out without trying _something_ wasn't any good in his head.

Kagome, who was sitting next to the hanyou, reached out and patted his leg. "I know."

Sango agreed with him however. "He has a point. We have no idea what they're capable of."

"Or what they're after." Miroku said, looking cryptically at Kagome. Once again she felt the urge to shield the small fragment she knew was part of her.

It was hard for them, growing up in the era that they had, to trust people just based on the authority they showed - particularly when no one besides Inuyasha and Kagome could ever meet these new intruders in their lives. Kagome knew this, and knew that above all the safety of their mission and the jewel had to come first.

And yet...

"This _is_ a group decision, but I don't believe they mean us any harm. Koenma only seemed motivated to help honestly. He even assigned some of his team to make sure I was protected in my time."

"We trust your judgment Kagome." Miroku said, although it was not without reservations. "Just be cautious."

Sango nodded quickly. "I _do_ like the idea of you being safe back in your home."

Kagome felt a twinge of resentment, but swallowed it down. She turned to Inuyasha. "And you are still okay with this?"

He feh'd once more, but looked at her with an unusual amount of seriousness. "I know I can't keep ya from fighting our battles now, but you be careful 'bout this. They're strong."

She knew it was a big deal for him to admit it, in front of the whole group no less, but agreed. The power she had felt emanating off of some of the detectives, just in response to Inuyasha's presence, was astounding; most definitely not something she would trifle with. "I will." She turned to look at the rest of her friends "And I promise I will keep you all informed about what goes on with them. I know it's hard not being able to interact without a proxy."

Her vision was getting a little bit more blurry, due to the dropping eyelids and smoke from the fire, but she heard Miroku's staff _clang_ as he shifted. "We appreciate that." He said.

She _hmm'ed_ into Shippo's hair, letting her head rest on his. "How do you feel about this all Shippo?"

He tilted his head back a bit, enough so that she felt it but didn't feel the need to remove herself from him. "I think it's cool! We're in a legend!"

She smiled. "Yup. All of us on this big scroll..." she trailed off, wedging her eyelids open so she had a moment of clarity to think. Maybe Koenma would let her bring a photo of it back to the Feudal Era. She knew that were all sorts of awful implications about what it would mean for the future to be revealed to the past, but really, she was already giving everyone the information. What could one little photo hurt? Shippo would _love_ to see how brave he looked, his face furious and determined, his entire body encased in energy.

She sighed a little to herself. Wouldn't that just be awesome?

Inuyasha looked over at the girl, recognizing the signs of exhaustion on her body. They had covered a lot of distance today due to their late start, and she already been through so much last night - no one was really certain what the effect of the jewel healing her was, but it did seem to tax her energy. He felt a little bit guilty about pushing everyone, but the thought of getting even a little bit of an advantage over Naraku was too much for him to allow much leniency.

"Look," he said, catching her wavering attention "just remember that you're that things guardian."

From the way he was talking she didn't think he meant Shippo. "I know Inuyasha. I couldn't forget that."

"I don't mean..." he growled, frustrated "just don't do anything risky."

Kagome could feel all three pairs of eyes steady on her, even if she was too tired to really see them. "I promise I won't risk the jewel."

Sango's grim face - or what Kagome could make of it - broke into a wry smile. "Or yourself."

She laughed. "Right, that too."

The firelight flickered, and Kagome wondered in some small recess of her mind if bed was a far off option. She didn't think she'd get a second day to sleep in. Miroku seemed to read her mind, or possibly her body language. "I have one last question then, before we all retire for the evening."

She raised her head off of Shippo's, giving the priest her full attention. "Go ahead."

"In this scroll of us," he asked, his voice serious "did it do me proper justice?"

She blinked at him for a moment, uncomprehending. "Pardon?"

Miroku nodded. "Well, my dashing good looks are _renowned_ around Japan. I just wanted to make sure our legend did my face it's full due."

Before Kagome had a chance to reply there was the echoing sound of a dull _thunk _from Sango's corner of the campsite. "Houshi..." she threatened, raising her hand once again.

Miroku rubbed the back of his head, grinning unashamedly at the demon slayer. But the comment had done it's trick, for Kagome was dissolving in soft laughter. "You look great in it Miroku, don't fret."

"That's all a man can ask for."

Inuyasha recalled his earlier satisfaction at seeing his own face in the portrait, and silently agreed with the monk. Not that he would ever admit it.

Kagome stretched her back, yawning deeply. "If that's everything then, I'm going to head to bed. We still have a lot of ground to cover."

"You can sense the shard more clearly now?" Sango asked.

"Mhmmm," Kagome hummed "but it's still a little fuzzy. I think we can get to it by tomorrow."

She had noticed the feeling halfway through their trek this afternoon - the pinprick of the shikon just barely on the edge of her senses. Ever since the shards had made a home out of her chest cavity, her ability to pick up on the energy of the other pieces had become stronger. This newest bit seemed to be in the direction where they were headed anyway, so all she really had to do was fine-tune their course. It didn't take long after her comment, for the group to clear things up and head off to slumber.

Tomorrow they had a chance to win back a piece of their war. Tomorrow they had to fight, not quite sure who the opponent was, but always knowing what they were fighting for.

As Kagome drifted off to sleep, Shippo curled up next to her, she smiled ruefully to herself. Just another day to the legendary shikon-hunting group. Her soft chuckles that followed soothed the young kit as they both fell asleep, safe for the moment.

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	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** Okay, this one is a little bit longer than my last few - I figured a small gift was in order, since my summer life is officially over in ten hours. Classes begin again and the mad rush of group projects and midterms and all that fun stuff is soon upon me, so I won't be putting these out as often as I'd like. Still! I'm an ambitious folk, and expect weekly updates, unless I'm otherwise impeded. I really am going to try for this.

So besides that there isn't a lot to say. As usual thanks for all of the lovely reviews. Oh! Also, I suppose, you might want to keep track of my other stories (if this appeals to you at all aha) because whenever I have writer's block, I like to write one shots. And most of the time they'll be spin offs of this story, or at least involve some of the pairings or friendship I talk about here, because I figure there's nothing better than some pointless fluff or a good tragedy piece to remind you why you love the length sagas so much. So there's that.

And there's some action and actual fun dialog in this chapter. So enjoy!

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The demon snarled, swiping an enormous clawed hand at the shard hunters. His body towered over them, casting a shadow upon the group - they had finally found him after a day of travel, and their exhaustion showed.

Immediately they scattered, pairing off in a swift manner that showed years of practiced tactics and battles fought as a well-used unit. Shippo hung back, taking Kagome with him as the two paired off to defend their friends - Kagome was still primarily a distance fighter, and while she protected the group, her kit protected _her_. Kirara swept under Sango, taking the taijiya up into the air where her attacks were most effective, while Miroku ran alongside Inuyasha, an alternating blow of staff and sword keeping the demon's attention.

It was proving ineffective however, for the shards in his head were unwilling to let its host die so quickly. With each powerful swing of his sword, Inuyasha watched another limb detach and regrow, the new skin much stronger than the last. Attacking the demon was only strengthening his defenses.

"Oi, Kagome!" he hollered, leaping high in the air as he avoided another downward swing of claws. Miroku rushed forward, intent on dealing a significant blow to the only remaining part of the beast that was vulnerable - it's underbelly. "Where's the shard?"

She held the arrow limp in her hand for a moment, focusing her gaze on the attacker and trusting Shippo to keep her safe from the demon as it lumbered closer. "It's in his chest!"

Inuyasha landed next to her, his sword brandished threateningly at his side. "You're sure?"

The demon's chest was huge, spanning several meters, and as a result had bared the brunt of their combined attacks. Consequently, it was also the hardest part of his body, impenetrable to Inuyasha's Kaze no Kizu.

Kagome nodded her head furtively. "Yes. Dead center."

"Keh." He growled, raising his sword with newfound determination. "Alright, can you clear the way?"

She watched as Sango and Miroku circled the demon, choosing to take the full force of his anger so that their pack could confer in relative safety. She looked at Inuyasha, resolve in every fiber of her body. "Of course."

She turned to Shippo quickly, an eyebrow raised in a silent question. Should the demon turn on them, Kagome would not be prepared to defend herself against the level of his offensive - despite her best attempts at shouldering the responsibility in a fight, she was human yet, and her body could not hope to damage his. Shippo, on the other hand, provided a great distraction with his illusions, and gave her much needed opportunities to flee to higher ground time and time again. He caught her meaning quickly and tersely lowered his head in assent.

Kagome strung the bow taunt, notching her arrow at the demon as Inuyasha yelled for his friends to clear off. With a small prayer of true aim she pulled her powers forward until they seeped through her and into her weapon, letting it loose just as Inuyasha swung his sword down with a resonant cry.

The demon recoiled as the attack hit him straight on the mark, his figure blinded from Kagome's vision by the bright light of her and Inuyasha's combined attack. She heard Shippo beside her, his voice hopeful. "Did we get 'im?"

The debris cleared, and Kagome resisted the impulse to groan. Despite the now large gash on his chest, baring a disturbing amount of internal flesh to her, the demon did not appear hindered at all. Rather, she thought, watching carefully as he focused his glare upon her, he seemed really, really _upset_.

Before he had a chance to charge his latest assailants, Kirara flew overhead to rejoin to fray, allowing Sango an opportunity to launch her Hiraikotsu. The weapon took advantage of the injury Kagome and Inuyasha had managed, widening the gaping hole further - the demon toppled over, roaring.

Kagome, sensing the jewel shard falling with the demon, knew his defeat was only temporary. She fingered another arrow, dangling it loosely in her grip. There was no point in continuously charging at this guy. With every attack they lay on him, he became stronger, and unless someone could get the shikon out _before_ he healed-

A thought suddenly occurred to her. Still standing close to Inuyasha, she grabbed at the ends of his hakama, pulling his attention back to her.

"You need to get me on top of him." She said intently.

From the way his eyes widened disbelievingly at her, Kagome knew this would be a hard pitch. She had little time to make it however. "No, before you say anything, listen. He's just going to keep healing, and then it'll be _impossible_ to get to the shard. But if I can get at it **now**, then his injuries won't mend."

"If you can get at what exactly?" The dog demon's harsh question was accompanied by a loud snarl that told both of them time was running out.

"The shard."

"And how you gonna do _that_?'

She hesitated, if only because she predicted his refusal. "By reaching into the cut on his chest."

"No _fucking_ way-"

"It's the only option! I can tell where the shard is and pull it out!"

"Yeah, while that thing tears your body to bits and pieces. No way, I ain't helping you with some hair-brained scheme-"

"Inuyasha."

"-just because you've got a little training now and you think you can fight a demon all on your fucking own-"

"Hey!"

He shot her an angry look, the glare tinged deeply with worry.

She flung the only card she had at him. "Just _trust_ me Inuyasha, just with this. I know you will protect me."

He sighed deeply, narrowing his eyes at the priestess. Fucking pull out the protector thing on him, as if he could protect someone who just _tossed_ themselves into shitty situations-

"Fine." He looked over at the fight, the demon still on his back, and grudgingly admitted that her plan may in fact be their only option. "But you take out that knife you got and you _charge _it with whatever the fuck you can."

She nodded, pulling out the wakizashi that Sango had been trying to teach her with - a small sword that served most of the taijiya should their main weapon fail - and pushing as much purifying miko energy into it as she could. It was not as effective as her bow and arrow, but it was better than nothing.

"And if you even _think_ that you're going to get hit, you get outta there, jewel be damned."

"Okay." She agreed gratefully.

He pulled her tightly to his side, casting a look back at the fox kit who was alternating between worrying about his human friends still in the thick of battle, and his human mother who was about the throw herself into it. Inuyasha imagined that his face looked awfully similar. He nodded at Shippo, silently promising him to protect what he could, and jumped into the air.

Kagome leaned trustingly into his grip, her hand tight on the hilt of her sword. The wind rushed past her face as she flew, first with Inuyasha high into the air, and then on her own, as he dropped her as gently as possible onto the demon's front. It was not a smooth landing however, and she pitched forward, rolling rather ungraciously to the side, before she stuck a foot firmly into the demon's ribcage.

She heard Inuyasha yelling at the rest of her group, telling them to keep the demon pinned as long as possible, but chose to focus only on getting to the hole in the demon's chest. It was already a lot smaller than she had thought, and soon it would be but a faint scar, covering another thick layer of hide that encased the jewel. She pulled herself onto all fours, scrambling up the barrel of his chest until she could anchor herself overtop of it.

_Gods_ it smelled something awful.

Kagome used the little toe knives that Sango had gotten her to put in her boots, and secured herself as best she could, although the grip was tenuous at best. It was difficult to penetrate the demon's healed skin, but she managed, for he was bucking with renewed vigor, trying to toss her off. Despite what she had said to Inuyasha, there was little her weapon could help in this situation. She placed it back in the sash tied around her waist, securing both the weapon and herself once more.

With one last grimace - _I can't believe I volunteered for this_ - she stuck her right hand in the wound, using her left one to further fasten her body to the demon's. She stretched her arm as far as she could, groping around for the shard, trying to ignore whatever else she might grasp in the process.

_There is no way I'm going to be able to get to it like this_.

She realized this just as the demon arched his back valiantly, his whole body rocking to the side as he got loose from one of her friends - she did not have time to see who. With a strangled cry she dug her left boot further into him, the right side of body flung free as he folded over top of her. For a moment she could not see, could not breath, could not do anything but hope that the pain would be over soon.

Thankfully it was, and after a brief moment she was back on her front, quickly regaining her grip on the being underneath her. She looked up to see Shippo charging at the demon's arm. She cried out, concern laced throughout her body suddenly and swiftly, only to be replaced by pride as she noted the kistune's ingenious move - he had placed of his stone statues on the demon's curled hand, pinning him down temporarily. Her cry turned into a cheer.

She allowed herself one more brief flicker of joy, before turning back to the task at hand.

Okay, so she couldn't find the shard with _just_ her sight. But she could feel the shard tugging at the edge of her senses, urging her forward, calling out to her. It was as if a piece of her lay in the demon, steadily beating back at her, waiting to return. Kagome shut her eyes, thrusting her hand back into the wound - now barely bigger than her outstretched palm, and much more thin. Relying on her mind instead, Kagome searched for that small tug, following the line deeper and deeper into the demon's chest cavity.

_Thu-thump_

She could feel the shard, pulsating beneath her fingertips, just out of reach.

_Thu-thump_

So very close, but still as unreachable as if she had been miles away.

_Thu-thump_

She focused everything she had onto getting to that shard, stretching further-

_Thu-thump_

-just a little further-

_Thu-thump_

-feeling as if, although _she_ was not getting any closer-

_Thu-thump_

-the shard was slowly moving towards her-

_Thu-thump_

-until, with a triumphant _aha! _she felt the shard _fly_ into her hand, the blinding light of purification ringing out around her. Kagome wrest her arm free of the injury, the demon's hide no longer attempting to heal itself, and gripped the jewel tightly in her grasp. She turned around, waving frantically at her friends just as the demon rolled over onto his other side, the one not stuck under fox magic, and tossed her off of his chest.

She bit back a strangled scream, seeing only a brief flash of bright blue sky before she landing soundly into someone's grasp.

"Oof!" She exclaimed, shutting her eyes upon impact. She blearily opened them, looking up at her savior's face. "Thanks Sango!"

The demon slayer smiled wryly at her. "No problem Kagome."

With a roar, Kirara took to the air again, content that both her companions were now safe. She rode over to where Inuyasha stood, warily watching the demon as it bent over itself in pain.

He glanced up at them as they hovered in the air. "You got it?" He asked her, scanning her body as he did so.

She smiled victorious, keeping her hand gripped tightly around the shard. "Yup!"

Inuyasha turned his gaze back to the demon, eyes narrowed as he watched Miroku help Shippo out of its range. "Good. It's my turn now!"

He raised his sword over his head, letting out a deafening shout. "Kaze no Kizu!"

The air swirled around them, intense streams of power flowing from the Tessaiga as his attack hit the demon straight on. It did not have even a chance of fighting back, and with a sense of finality Kagome watched the demon become pieces of its former self.

The light cleared, revealing three great claw marks embedded in the place the demon once stood. Kirara finally deemed the fight over, landing on the ground softly to allow her passengers to get off. Sango dismounted easily enough, but Kagome soon found she could not swing her stiff body down on her own.

Inuyasha was by her side in an instant, sheathing the sword now that the worst of the battle was over. "What's wrong?"

She grimaced. "I can't...I can't raise my legs."

He was lifting her off before she had a chance to fully explain, inspecting her injuries. "Why?"

Setting her down, Inuyasha kept his arms tight around her waist, holding most of her body up. He was looking worriedly at her lower limbs, trying to discern the cause of her pain, but she shook off his grip. Tentatively she allowed her full weight to rest on both legs, happy to note that whilst heavily bruised, she was not all that injured. "Don't worry, it isn't serious. When the demon rolled over the first time he sorta crushed me against his body."

At several pairs of widening eyes, Kagome sighed deeply. "I am _fine_; my muscles are just a little tender. Perfectly healthy."

No one was willing to bring up the new reality of her body's invulnerability and a small silence swept over.

"You got the jewel shard then?" Sango asked.

"Oh right!" Kagome opened her hand, finally ready to release the shikon. The second she unfurled her fingers, the now purified jewel piece rose ominously in the air, pausing briefly for the group to admire. Then, without warning, it shot into Kagome, resting in the same place she had just pulled it from, only in a different body.

She clasped a hand over the spot it had entered, feeling no pain from the shard, just a steady pulsation. As usual, she spared a thought for what this latest development meant, finding only a frustrating dead end.

_Thu-thump_

_Thu-thump_

_Thu-thump_

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.

.

.

They travelled for another couple of weeks, the only major incident being the scuffle with the shikon shard. However the lack of a lead regarding Naraku was frustrating, for there had been no trace of him around the sacred jewel - the demon they had fought seemed to move entirely on its own dumb luck. The group had alternated between training and fighting during their travels, letting off steam.

Since each activity took the same form, by the time Kagome returned home for a few more days she was sporting her fair share of bruises and her body ached.

"Oi, you going or what?"

Kagome looked over to Inuyasha who, bless him, had been patiently waiting for her to finish her little mental lapse before helping her out of the well house. Well, waiting patiently in Inuyasha time at least. She nodded, shooting him a brief smile, and he leaned down to pick her up, wrapping an arm around her waist and jumping out of the well and into the courtyard with a quick leap.

As Kagome climbed out of his arms she heard the front door swing up. The sun was beating down on them with a rather persistent glare, much like the muggy weather she'd been subjected to in the past, and Kagome only made out the small form when it was wrapped around her. "Souta! Good morning."

"Heya sis!" The young boy grinned up at her, and then shot off to tackle Inuyasha. The dog demon caught Souta as he leapt, holding the kid up by the back of his shirt. "Inuyasha! You're back this time too!"

Inuyasha had uncharacteristically accompanied her home, saying something about _proper escorts _and that _you never knew who would be lurking around_. Personally Kagome suspected something else was up, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what that was.

His ears flattened against his skull at Souta's loud yell, but Inuyasha smirked at him. "Yeah, we're back."

Souta adored Inuyasha almost unconditionally, often going off about his heroic deeds and amazing strength, and was probably unaware of some of the traits he was picking up from his idol. As Inuyasha placed him back on the ground, Souta leaned back, striking a posture remarkably similar to the half-demon's, and beamed up at him.

Kagome sighed. Oh dear, did she even exist?

Apparently so, for Souta turned to her. "Oh yeah, mom said that she had some food ready for you two inside, if you want. I'm going to soccer practice now!"

Inuyasha cocked his head, looking at her hopefully. "Ramen?"

"Inuyasha, it's first thing in the morning, I doubt Mama prepared ramen for us."

Souta shrugged, rubbing the back of his head. "Actually..."

Something clicked, and Kagome shot him a suspicious glare, raising an eyebrow. "Souta, how did Mama know we were coming home today?"

The young boy just laughed, giving Inuyasha what she supposed was meant to be a surreptitious look, and ran off. "I'll see you after school sis! Bye Inuyasha!"

He waved at them as he departed, his form quickly disappearing into the early morning sun, but Kagome had already turned so that she faced her friend. "Inuyasha..." She trailed off threateningly.

He gave her an innocent look. "What?" She continued to stare him down, until - "well, she wanted to know when we would be back, and she said she could prepare something for us if she knew a little bit better..."

She had _known_ something was strange about how easily Inuyasha had agreed to come back! And early too, for she hadn't planned on going home until next week. She could have seen the signs if she had bothered to pay attention, they had all been there - he had even asked her what day it was before they had left!

Try as she might though, Kagome couldn't help the laughter that came trickling out. "Inuyasha!" She attempted to sound admonishing, but failed. "She's bribing you!"

He shrugged his shoulders, grinning now that he knew he wasn't in trouble. "So? She said she'd make ramen."

Kagome was tired, bruised, probably quite smelly, and hadn't had a real meal in weeks. Her backpack was already starting to turn an awfully suspicious color she suspected had little to do with the bag itself and more to do with where it had been this week. All in all, she did not have the energy to even pretend to be upset with Inuyasha. And really, except for withholding the truth a little, there wasn't anything to be miffed about. She leaned up against his shoulder, slinging an arm around his waist. "Alright, let's go inside," she said, already walking towards the house "she clearly wants to see you more than she wants to see me anyway."

A very boyish blush dusted his ears. Rather than reply, as the two made their way into the house, he sniffed the air experimentally and grinned. Kagome looked over at him, her eyebrows furrowed. "I swear, if she made _just_ ramen to please you, I'm going to have to cut back rations for next week."

The look Inuyasha gave her was horrified. "You can't!"

They entered the house, Kagome dropping her bag next to the front door and hollering a greeting out to wherever her mother may be. She turned back to Inuyasha, nodding wisely. "Oh but I can."

"Feh, I know where ya hide the stuff."

It had been three years of travelling, after all. He could have smelt out the ramen in the house, but he had seen Kagome take it out of those wooden hidey-hole things often enough to sneak some into the backpack when she wasn't looking.

Before Kagome had the opportunity to retort - something along the lines of Inuyasha not having the money to get more ramen when this stuff ran out - her mother came out the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. She smiled at her daughter and Inuyasha. "It's lovely to see you two back."

Kagome laughed and ran up to her, giving her a big hug. She talked into her mother's hair "I hear you had advanced notice."

They stepped back from each other, Kagome's mother wisely not saying anything on the matter except to give her daughter a knowing smile, and turned to the dog demon. "Inuyasha, it is good to see you safe and sound."

The small blush came back and he nodded stiffly.

"The food is on the table for you."

His eyes lit up and Inuyasha darted into the other room, pausing only briefly to say a mumbled 'thanks' to Mrs. Higurashi. A moment later his faint yell was heard. "It ain't just ramen Kagome!"

She giggled, tucking her arm through her mother's and leading them into the kitchen. "Thanks Mama."

Mama smiled. "Oh it was no trouble. I am happy to do at least this much for my daughter."

Kagome was truly grateful that her mother was so understanding of this whole adventure. Besides Inuyasha, she had never truly seen much evidence that her daughter was off saving the world, and it was a lot to accept with a smile and a warm farewell. When Kagome was gone months on end, as she was prone to do during the summer when she didn't have school, all Mrs. Higurashi did was make sure to buy excess supplies.

But she was also thankful that her mother never _had_ to see the reality of what Kagome did. This way, with her worlds so separate, it helped her cope. It helped both of them cope.

Kagome spotted Inuyasha perched on one of the kitchen stools nearest the counter, a bowl of ramen next to his mouth. He didn't bat an eyelash as the two women entered, but pointed with his chopsticks to the rest of the breakfast food sitting on the counter, causing Kagome to giggle again.

As she bounded out of mother's arms and over to the table - real food! - Kagome hummed to herself. "You should bring some breakfast food for everyone else Inuyasha, if you head back early enough. They probably need it as much as we do."

He nodded, talking around a mouthful of noodles. "'Kay." He had planned on leaving right after this anyway, not interested in hanging around for Kagome's post-travel ritual of having what had to be the world's longest bath.

"That reminds me," her mother said, leaning against the kitchen wall "some of your friends called."

Kagome was reaching up into the cupboards, trying to find some containers to pack the food into, so she didn't notice her mother's facial expression. "Oh? Who was it? I told Yuka and them that I was going to be gone for a little while longer."

With a little _aha_ Kagome pulled down a lunchbox, turning around to look at her mom. Mrs. Higurashi's face was pulled together tightly in confusion. "Was it not them?" Kagome asked, staring more carefully at her mother.

She shook her head. "No, this one knew where you had gone to. Her name was Botan I believe."

Kagome's tensed stance eased. "Oh, okay. Yes, she's my friend - I'll fill you in later, promise."

"Sure thing dear." She agreed breezily, her face softening into a relaxed smile.

Kagome had no clue how exactly Botan had found her number, although she didn't worry too much. It was probably just some peculiarity of Koenma's - after all, apparently she had a file and everything. What was a phone number to Reikai when they also knew about your entire childhood spent obsessed over boy bands?

Kagome blushed. She really hoped they didn't know about that, actually.

She packed some of the omelets and rice into separate boxes, making sure that there was enough for her friends before helping herself. Mama approached her as she did this, bringing out some cloth to wrap the lunchboxes in and handing them to Kagome.

She glanced over, accepting them with a gracious smile. "What did Botan want anyway?"

"She left a number for you to call when you returned. She seemed to think you would return much earlier."

Kagome finished tying the packs up, turning around to lay them in front of Inuyasha. The dog demon was moving onto his third bowl of ramen - Mama really _did_ think of everything - and caught her eye as he reached for it. "We weren't gone for that long." He said defensively.

She shrugged, sitting down with her own plate of food to enjoy. "I didn't say that." Honestly, as long as could come home for her tests and her minimum amount of attended days, Kagome no longer fretted too much about time lost to this world. "I'll call her back after my bath."

Mrs. Higurashi took the seat opposite of Inuyasha, silently watching the two eat for a moment. Kagome made quick work of her breakfast, trying her _hardest_ to savor the egg dish, but finding self-control a little impossible. When the only thing they had eaten these last couple of days had been the tasteless herb broth, an omelet _with_ vegetables **and** steamed rice seemed like heaven.

"You might want to call her sooner dear." Kagome looked up at her mother, confusion written on her face. Mama continued, "she seemed worried."

Whatever _for_? Kagome nodded slowly, swallowing her last bite. "Worried?"

"She called seven times."

"Oh."

Mrs. Higurashi smiled gently at Kagome's uneasy expression. "I left her number by the phone."

Kagome sighed deeply, thinking wistfully of her bath, and rose from her seat, taking her dish with her as she crossed the boundary between the kitchen and the main room. As she walked past the sink and further into the house she placed the plate gently with the other dirty kitchenware, only pausing to run through several scenarios in which the ferry girl would have cause to worry about her. Maybe something in the way she had told her story to the detectives? She had tried to relay the story as concisely as possible, already uncomfortable with Koenma's eager staring at that point. Or perhaps she had somehow made them to believe this trip was going to be a brief one.

Her house had a corded phone, so it was in its usual spot near the staircase. Kagome stared down at the receiver, looking at the small scrap of paper next to it that her mother had scrawled a number on. With a deep sigh she picked up the phone and the number, casting all potential details out of her mind. She could really just solve this with a quick call.

She held the receiver to her ear, listening as it rang once, twice, and then -

"_Hello?_" A gruff voice answered, nothing at all like the bubbly tone of the grim reaper.

"Hey," Kagome started, uncertain "uhm, I think maybe I have the wrong number here..."

She heard a cough on the line and then some scuffling as the person on the other end moved around. "_Kagome?_"

She nodded, and then, realizing he could not see her, _mhmm_'ed into the phone.

"_You're home_." He sounded surprised.

"Yup." She said, her eyes still locked on the piece of paper that held the number. "I'm sorry, but _who_ is this?"

She heard laughing on the other end. "_Oh sorry 'bout that. It's Yusuke_."

"Oh."

"_Botan doesn't actually _have _a phone, so she used mine_."

"_Oh._" This time her exclamation was of relieved comprehension. "Is she there?"

"_Nah, but she will be soon. Damn girl can't stop fretting_."

Kagome turned a little so that she was leaning against the stair banister. "Yeah, so I heard. What's wrong?"

"_Tch_," he grumbled into her ear, sounding positively _just_ like Inuyasha "_she thought you were gone too long_."

Kagome nodded, her thoughts confirmed. "Ah."

"_Apparently you're missing too much school. At least, according to her._"

Actually, Kagome commented in her head, she was missing just the right amount of school. She had already considered her options when choosing a high school, and she had found one that was lenient enough about her illnesses without being a total dive should she want to attend university. Or so she hoped.

But now that she thought about it... "Yusuke, shouldn't _you_ be in school right now?"

He chuckled. "_I'm sick._"

"Mhmm."

"_Deathly ill actually_."

She made an unconvincing sympathetic noise. "Oh, sorry to hear about that."

"_My days are numbered_."

She couldn't help but laugh. "_Everyone's_ days are numbered, that's what that whole mortal spiel is about."

"_Yeah, but the school don't know that_."

She couldn't berate him on skipping, not when her own record was so spotty. She would just be begging to have these last few weeks tossed back at her.

There was no need to worry over it however, for she was soon distracted by a faint sound of slamming on the other end, accompanied by a lot of static. She could make out Yusuke's voice, more distant then it had been, and then another person was in her ear. "_Kagome!_"

She smiled at the frantic voice. "Hey there Botan."

"_You're alive!_"

"Last I checked."

The ferry girl giggled nervously. "_Righteo. Koenma will be so pleased_."

Kagome turned this over in her head for a moment. "I'm sorry if I implied that I would be back sooner-"

"_Oh, no, you're back just as soon as you ought to be!_"

Kagome raised an eyebrow at this odd phrasing, well aware that Botan couldn't see it. "You aren't worried?"

"Nonsense, _silly_. _We know you can take care of yourself_." Kagome could hear her high-pitched laugh once again, quite at a loss for her attempted nonchalance. The girl _had _called seven times.

"Okay..." Kagome drawled, content to not push to issue "what was it then that you wanted? I thought I was supposed to call you when I returned?"

They'd given her a number, likely this one, to call upon her arrival back to her time, one which Kagome was pretty sure was in the house. Inuyasha had promised her that he had stashed it among her belongs, for she had not been capable of doing more than accepting the paper with a guttural murmur.

"_Well, I don't want to rush you too much, but we were hoping to have you back soon, to talk some of the finer details over and whatnot, y'know, since it was such a long day before and you headed off so quickly at the end there-_"

"Botan." Kagome cut her off, accustomed to giving her own fair share of rambling nervous speeches and feeling sympathetic for the ferry girl's plight.

"_Yes ma'am?_"

Kagome couldn't decide if she should laugh or sigh exasperatedly, so she just cut to the chase. "I would not mind meeting up. But can it wait until tomorrow? I just got in a few minutes ago."

"_Oh of course!_" She could hear the relief in Botan's voice, and was starkly aware that this tentative trust extended in both directions. "_Is tomorrow afternoon okay? Yusuke and I can meet you outside of your shrine?_"

Kagome shook off the overreaching personal information and agreed. "Sure, sounds great. I'll meet you at the bottom of the steps at say...four?"

"_Great! I shall see you then!_"

She couldn't help her smile. "Great." She echoed, finally letting the flimsy sheet of paper in her hand rest back on the table. She hung up the phone with a small shake of her head, not concerned with the particulars of the emotion behind it.

At least she could boast that although her life was privy to many dark and disconcerting things, it was _never _dull.

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"Botan! Over here!"

Kagome waved over the grim reaper, spotting the girl easily enough from her current position on the bottom of the shrine steps. Somehow blue really worked for her, the exuberant color blending in seamlessly with her personality.

"Kagome!" Botan ran over to her, an answering smile on her face. When she reached Kagome she bowed deeply, showing tremendous deference. "I am so happy to see you."

As she straightened out, her hands still tucked self-consciously at her sides, Kagome tsk'd. "Please Botan, you don't need to act like that around me. Remember, I am not the priestess from the legends."

She relaxed a little, her posture slackening, but shook her head vehemently. "Nonsense! You are the very one in the same - you just haven't made it there yet."

Kagome smiled ruefully, folding her hands over the large collection of papers that were currently nestled on her lap. "Perhaps, but I am not currently, and as such I do not deserve such praise. I would very much like it if my friends did not idolize me unduly."

Botan wanted to argue with this, but held her tongue. She was immensely soothed by the priestess' easy reference to her as a friend.

"I am glad you found me so quickly," Botan started, the edge in her tone bellying her nervousness "We were worried about your long trip."

"We usually go for a couple of weeks," Kagome said "at least these days. It's already difficult to return here as much as I do, but everyone is kind enough to make it work for me. They argue that I cannot give up my future by rectifying the past."

Well, at least mostly everyone said so. Kagome's relationship with Inuyasha had done nothing but strengthen these last few years, but she could still not imagine him saying such sentiments out loud.

In front of her, Botan expressed her agreement. "That is very wise advice. You are in your last year of human schooling, correct?"

"Yes," Kagome said cautiously "did you hear that from Koenma?"

Botan inclined her head, keeping her tongue tucked firmly in her mouth. People tended to react to the godling's penchant for information in a handful of ways, most of which were quite violent. Kagome however was maintaining a very smooth air of nonchalance.

The priestess tilted her head as she studied the grim reaper. "That is very odd you know."

Botan knew as much. "It is a lot to take in, especially when you've only just been introduced to the three world concept. You _do_ seem to be taking the news in great strides though."

The sun caught Kagome's eyes and she blinked at Botan slowly. "Oh, it isn't any more unbelievable than demons pulling you down time-travelling wells. I stopped believing in impossibilities quite some time ago."

"That's a great way to see things!" Botan exclaimed. "I still have trouble believing some of the strange things we come across in our travels."

Kagome laughed. "You will have to tell me these stories some time. I'm really curious about all of the supernatural shenanigans I've missed out on, being a plain ol' human and all that."

"You are hardly a plain human!" Botan gasped, astonished. "Why, you are perhaps the farthest _from_ it. A time travelling, all-powerful priestess who is host to the most volatile and potent jewel in history. Any more supernatural and I think we ought to not call you human at all."

"Well, when you put it _that_ way..." Kagome replied, a smile still on her upturned lips. "Still, I would love to be able to talk with you sometime, when it's more suitable. I know things are a little rushed right now."

That was the maxim of her life really. In a rush to head back to the past, find the shards, find Naraku, get passing grades, keep things a secret, rush, rush, rush. She should have something about it emblazoned on her tombstone - _Her lies Kagome; at last she is no longer chasing the tail-wind of her numerous problems and greatest treasures._

Okay, so probably a little too wordy. But still, it was worth consideration.

Botan leaned forward, a wide grin threatening to stretch her face in two. "Of course! I would be delighted!"

Kagome's grin widened. "Mmm!" She exclaimed.

A comfortable silence permeated the air, although Botan was bursting with questions to ask, eager to take advantage of the priestess' good mood. However, something about Kagome, the same innate quality that made talking to her so easy, had the ferry girl's trust swelling out from her. It just did not seem imperative the she rush any inquiries, for surely there would be a more suitable time and place for them. Kagome had, after all, promised just such a thing. Had _asked_ for it, actually. This made Botan puff up a little bit, her heady excitement palpable in the air around her.

Thankfully Kagome seemed alright with directing the conversation elsewhere. "So we are waiting on Yusuke?"

"Yup! His school is just a little ways from here, and it's only him and Kurama meeting up with us today."

"Oh," Kagome said "why is that? Not that I enjoy an audience, but it seemed important to Koenma last time that his other two members were called."

When she had asked that Inuyasha be brought along, the demigod had insisted on calling his own team. It wasn't a big deal to her so she hadn't thought much of it at the time, but their absence now was notable.

"They're busy, and Koenma didn't think your story would be so long today." Botan replied. "Hiei is in Makai with another demon, and Kuwabara is studying for some interspecies exam he wants to take."

"Oh," Kagome asked "an interspecies exam? What is that?"

Before Botan had a chance to reply, a gruff voice answered. "It's some cock and bull about unifying the three worlds."

"Yusuke!" the grim reaper yelled, her hand flying to her heart. "You scared the daylights out of me."

He was wearing his school uniform, a somber black two piece, with his hands buried deep in his pockets. Dark hair caught the sunlight, each groove ridged with slick gel, as he ran his hair through it absently. Following a little ways behind him was Kurama, a small smile of greeting on his face as he caught her eye.

Kagome looked at Yusuke curiously, her eyebrows pulled together in thought. "Didn't Koenma say that they separated the worlds to prevent fighting?"

"Yup, because demons are too violent to mix with humans, and humans are too dumb to know about either worlds. It'd be a gong show if the barriers ever dropped."

She thought about _her_ world, watching demons desecrate villages in mere minutes, humans who believed so strongly in spirituality that they in turn purified these monsters into ash. But also of the many colorful people she had met during her travels - many demons, even more who were killers, but all who were dear to her heart. Surely writing off _all_ cohabitation was a little premature?

Then again, she had missed five hundred years of history.

Botan pulled her out of her musings, distracting her as she pulled out a large oar. Kagome had noticed that last time too, but it hadn't seemed pertinent to mention it. "Aren't people going to see that? You're not exactly inconspicuous."

The ferry girl just giggled. "Nope! Regular humans won't notice any of this. It wouldn't do to have Ningenkai aware of our presence."

She waved her oar around as she spoke, a portal forming with each turn of her weapon.

"So then, it's really a serious thing, keeping the worlds separate? But there's people who think differently?" She thought back to the tall red-head she had really only seen in passing, and once again to her rag tag group.

Yusuke just _tsk'd_ in a manner she knew from practice with Inuyasha meant he didn't really want to explain it. Kurama moved his gaze from Botan, where he had been watching her weave the portal, to her. "There aren't a lot of demons who remember what it was like when the two races coexisted, so it's become a difficult gap to bridge. People like Kuwabara are trying to see how we could better blend the worlds, but most instances of demons living here are due to their association with Reikai."

"Yeah," Yusuke piped up, scowling "and there ain't a lot of those either, since the King hates demons."

"Koenma's father?" She had been able to get a little bit of his background last time, but not much.

"Mhmm."

"But you two are demons...sort of. And that little one from last time is as well." She said.

Yusuke started laughing at her description of Hiei, but Kurama managed to answer her. "We are volunteers now, but when we were first...recruited, it was by Koenma, not his father."

"Oh." She said. "That's complicated."

Botan, who had solidified the portal as her friends conversed, piped back in. "It must seem odd to you - all of your contact with demons comes from a time before the barriers were put up."

She nodded. "It is a little weird...but it also explains a lot. I've only ever seen demon _artifacts_ here, nothing that really compares to live demons."

Kagome was absolutely awash with questions - who put up the portal, when had they decided segregation was the only option, what exactly was the relationship between Koenma and his father, and on, and on. But she could see that Botan was ready for them to go, and it would be her turn to be interrogated.

Oh well. Hopefully, with this new relationship, she would have a better opportunity to understand this sudden part of her life.

She stood up, trying to balance the large stack of papers that had been resting in her lap. Yusuke saw this and went to help, although this was mostly because Kagome almost took him out with the top half of her pile.

"Oof," he exclaimed, catching a few wayward papers "what _is_ all of this?"

She giggled, reaching forward to reclaim the notes. "Sorry," she said, flashing him a grateful smile "it's homework. Apparently I have a lot to catch up on."

She spared a moment to glare balefully at the many sheets in her grasp, each one more woefully blank than the last. Half of the reason she needed so much time back home was not because she needed to boost her attendance record - although she usually did - but rather, she needed the chance to complete all the work she missed. 'Sick kids' had a lot of time to do homework, so she really didn't have a good excuse to put off doing it.

"Yeuck."

"Yup." She straightened the pile up, clasping it to her chest. "But I'm grateful they haven't just kicked me out yet."

He looked down at the large stack of notes. "Yeah, I guess so." He could understand that at least. Keiko was the only thing keeping him in school, and even he could appreciate the chance to finish his education. If only because of her.

Kagome walked through the portal, the energy passing over her harmlessly enough. She was met with a pair of inquisitive eyes, although the large smile on the demigod eased her worries. She happened to like Koenma, who had yet to showcase his powers in a useless manner just to try to impress or frighten her. He was not overbearing, even though he had the birthright to be, and she enjoyed being respected.

She sat down on one of the chairs, tucking in her papers until they rested on her lap. The room looked pretty much the same it did several weeks ago, with the exception of a few less seating arrangements. Yusuke settled in on one of the longer couches, yawning loudly, whilst Kurama and Botan opted to sit on her right hand side. Once again Kagome found herself in the middle of the room and the center of attention.

"It is a pleasure to see you again Miss Kagome! I trust your travels found you well?"

"Yes sir," she said "everything went smoothly."

"How is the rest of your group?"

She smiled brightly. "They're good, thank you for asking! Inuyasha and I had quite the time trying to explain everything to them."

"Oh," Koenma said "you told them about us?"

"Yup. I tell my friends _everything_ that concerns the jewel," she stressed "we're a group and we stick together."

The godling nodded slowly. "Right. Well, I trust that they do not share this information with outsiders?"

He hadn't explicitly told her not to go spouting off about Reikai and things about the future, but time travel was so tricky...

"Don't worry sir, the fact that I'm from a different time isn't common information. But I trust my friend's implicitly, and they needed to know about this." She gestured vaguely around her, and to Koenma. "I couldn't _not_ tell them."

"No I suppose that would not be fair of us to ask."

She smiled softly at the unrest that settled on Koenma's face. "I am choosing to trust you, and my friend's on the other side have enough faith in me to allow that. So I hope you can decide to trust me enough to allow me the freedom to make my own decisions on who is privy to this type of knowledge."

She was trying to remind him just how much of what he told her she had to take on good faith. Koenma, who could respect that this world was foreign to her and would take some time to acclimate to, allowed her this. "Alright then, I will. Do try and keep the casualties to a minimum please."

Kagome brushed a piece of hair back, smiling. "Definitely. I really appreciate this sir."

He was admittedly easily placated, but what with the smiling and the living legend thing, he still found it difficult to deal with the priestess. Was it possible to chastise someone you had idolized on paper?

"So!" He exclaimed. "Did anything out of the ordinary happen?"

She shook her head. "No, it was a pretty quiet trip."

Kurama, who had been watching silently, raised an eyebrow at this. "You appear to have quite a few injuries though."

She turned to look at him, surprised. Sure, there were still some lingering bruising from the initial demon attack - she _had _borne the full weight of him momentarily. But she had also made sure to wear tights to school, and to put foundation over the lingering marks on her face.

"How can you tell?"

Kurama smiled deliberately, and tapped his nose - he could smell whatever salve she appeared to be using from the Feudal Era. "And," he added "you are favoring your right leg."

There were other small signs as well - she didn't have a lot of practice applying her makeup and there was an obvious favoritism for the spot near her chin; she had not stood to converse with the detective group either, choosing instead to remain seated on the shrine steps.

"I thought it was weird how quickly you dropped those papers." Yusuke exclaimed.

"Oh." Kagome said, her hand ghosting over her right side. "Well, these ones are just some surface wounds, nothing unusual."

"Haven't you been home for a day now though?" Botan asked, leaning forward so as to get a better look at the priestess. When Kagome just gave her a blank stare, she continued "well, shouldn't the jewel shard have healed your injuries?"

She shrugged. "That's not really how it works..." Kagome trailed off, uncertain of how much she wanted to reveal on this front. Having a different perspective on everything that was happening _could_ help though.

"How _does_ it work?" Koenma prompted, seeing the unease on the young woman's face.

"Er..." Kagome said "I don't know yet. So far, it seems that as long as my injuries aren't life threatening, the shards don't do anything."

Thankfully, she'd only had a few instances to test that theory, and wasn't keen on giving the jewel any more. Sure, it was normal for her to find herself in lethal _situations_, but they typically didn't do much harm due to the group's ever increasing fighting capabilities. No matter how lucky it seemed, Kagome didn't want to jewel to be exerting more influence on her and her body than necessary.

She had always suspected the thing had a mind of its own, but to discover that it could act on that will was disconcerting. She thought back to the earlier fight and how the fragment had moved _into_ her hand.

She shook the thought off - better to bring that particular tidbit up after she had gotten to know them better.

Kagome turned her attention back to the godling. "Sir, is there anything in particular you wanted me to inform you about?"

Koenma hmm'd and haw'd at what she had said, but allowed her to turn the conversation elsewhere. "Are you always gone for two weeks at a time?"

"It depends. If it's quiet and there aren't any leads we stick pretty close to the village. Jewel shards and hunting down Naraku take precedent, so sometimes that'll keep me longer."

"So this time was longer than normal?" He asked.

Kagome was beginning to suspect that the panic Botan had communicated was really just a filter for her boss'. "No, not really. It was pretty close and the demon was acting on his own. It's been too quiet lately."

Yusuke scoffed. "Isn't quiet better?"

She sighed. "Not necessarily. Not with Naraku."

Kurama noticed that whenever the priestess thought too deeply about the future - bringing up Naraku or the jewel shards or her time spent in the past - she would rest her hand over her heart, supposedly where the shikon fragments resided. Currently Kagome was drumming a light tune onto her collarbone.

"You are worried, then, about him?" He asked.

She turned deep blue eyes to him, considering. "Yeah, we all are. There aren't many free shards left - that just means he'll need to come after us soon."

"But you suggested before that he was recuperating?"

She sighed, knowing that with Naraku, there was always more to it than that. "He is. Or was, we don't really know. It's difficult to tell how long he'll be out for, since he doesn't take after any living being we know of, and it has been a couple of months since everything happened."

"Waiting must be very hard." Botan said.

"It is, but I am not so sure I like the alternative anymore." They _could_ stand an all-out brawl with him, perhaps, but there was still much to do in the meantime. So many loose ends that they had to tie up.

Kagome placed her hand back on top of her other - speaking of loose ends "Botan said something on the phone earlier, about going over some finer points?"

"Oh right!" Koenma exclaimed. "I did indeed."

He shuffled some papers around on his desk, searching for the one that had some points written across it. He hadn't wanted to forget anything, now that he had Kagome here.

"Er...alright, here it is. You go to Matsubara High School, correct?"

"Yes, I do."

"Good, good." Koenma said. "Alright, well, I've discussed it with the detectives, and they can escort you there whenever you're home."

Kagome frowned slightly. "With all due respect, that's really unnecessary."

"It'll minimize any possible threats you may face."

"But there _aren't_ any threats in Ningenkai."

"The attack on you begs to differ."

"Which you told me was not normal."

Caught between defending this choice, and defending his reputation as a capable moderator, Koenma chose her. "There might be a reoccurrence though, and it is in my power to prevent that."

She curled her fingers around each other. "I don't want to impede on your detectives' education just so that I _might_ be saved from a very unlikely demon attack that I have the skills to protect myself against."

"That won't be a problem, you are on the way."

He was smiling triumphantly, leaning back in the oversized chair he called his own. Kagome scowled slightly, turning to look at Kurama - she had already known, from Yusuke's uniform, that his school was close to hers. "You go to school nearby?"

Kurama smiled glibly. "I do. It is no inconvenience for us, so long as you do not mind waiting after your classes end."

"You're not helping my case." She frowned at him.

He shrugged, non-plussed - Kurama relished any opportunity to further study the priestess.

"Koenma," Kagome said, turning back "it will be an inconvenience to your detectives, and is completely expendable."

"But you're not expendable, Miss Kagome, and with all due respect," he said, repeating her earlier argument "I want you guarded while you complete the jewel. I may not be able to help your journey at all, but I can do everything possible to make sure you are safe _here_."

When she just looked at him apprehensively, Koenma added, "it would certainly be _fair _and _trusting_ of you to allow me this, don't you think?"

She glared balefully at him for a moment longer, before sighing resignedly. "Fine. We can try out the bodyguard thing."

The fact that Koenma's responding smile was not in any way gleeful did little to help soothe the voice in Kagome's head that reminded her of the many other times she was too weak to be on her own.

She straightened up, arching her back and stretching as she did so. "Is it alright if I head home then? I only have a few more days back, and I am _really_ behind in my classes."

"Oh, of course, of course." Flustered, Koenma looked to his list again. "Alright, well then I will have a detective pick you up tomorrow morning, and uhm...right! Botan, can you grab the phone?"

Botan nodded, pulling out a strange machine from the folds of her kimono. Kagome watched with apt jealousy - everyone in the past could do that trick, and she had yet to figure it out!

The ferry girl passed the device to her. Kagome turned it over in her hands a few times, her fingers passing lightly over the multitude of buttons. "What is this?"

"It's a communication machine," Koenma explained "it'll allow you to reach us when you get back from your travels."

Kagome shot Yusuke a sly look. "Wanted some peace and quiet?"

The detective snorted. "It ain't like I want people in my place at all hours of the night, just cause you're skipping school."

He said this kindly, so Kagome didn't fret over it too long. "So I can use this as a spirit phone, essentially?"

Yusuke nodded. "Yeah, I got one myself. Plus, the toddler over here can track where you are, so he won't be calling _you _so much either."

Heck, he liked this girl. Really, she wasn't power hungry or out to destroy the world, so it automatically put her in his good books; he didn't want her to be surprised when the gps-like aspect of the machine came to light.

She blinked at him, then turned a considerate look to the device. "Huh." She blew out a deep breath. "Okay then."

"You said you were headed back in a few days? To the Warring States Era?" Koenma asked, drawing her gaze back to him. He didn't even attempt to chastise Yusuke about his informality.

"Yes, Inuyasha will be back for me at the end of the week." She had returned on a Monday, which meant she had three more days here before the dog-demon came hollering at her door, and her days of warm showers and indoor plumbing came to an end.

She watched as Koenma took in this information slowly, his eyes far off into a future she knew she had no right to ask about. She understood that everything about her situation was hard for him to deal with - a time traveler? An untrained priestess piecing together a ridiculously powerful jewel? A demon able to travel back and forth as well? It must cause such chaos for a princeling who dealt in keeping order.

"Koenma?" She caught his attention. "Thank you, for everything. You've been very kind to me and I appreciate it."

He focused on her and smiled. "And thank you as well Miss Kagome."

Taking this as a good cue to leave, she stood up, taking great care to keep her papers with her as she did so. She was surrounded by people with a lot of power and very quick eyes - it wouldn't do to be acting like the _total_ klutz that she was.

The detectives stood up as well, and when Botan opened up the portal back to her shrine they followed through. Kagome shuddered as she walked through the dimensions.

She groaned, rolling her shoulders. "Ugh."

"I would think with all of your time-travelling that Botan's portals wouldn't affect you?" Kurama, who had been following immediately behind her, asked.

She turned around. "Oh, no, it's nothing like jumping through the well - this is way more suffocating."

When she travelled through time it felt _liberating_. Like she was flying, and for a brief moment she was neither the Kagome who could not fit into the world she had been born into, nor the world she had been gifted with. She was free and weightless and comforted, all at once.

Jumping through dimensions felt like every wall of her body was collapsing and expanding together. It was not painful, but it disorientated her for a moment.

She watched, over Kurama's shoulder, as Yusuke followed suit, and the portal collapsed all at once. Yusuke was yawning, his eyes shut tight. "Well, I'm headed home. Apparently I'm expected to go to school tomorrow."

Kurama laughed. "That girl is the only thing getting you through your attendance record."

Yusuke nodded, grinning widely. "I've been told that showing up for class can help ya learn stuff."

Kagome tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Oh really? People keep telling me the same thing."

The pair laughed, and Yusuke took off, waving goodbye behind him as he strolled in the opposite direction he had arrived from. Kagome took great care in noting this, resigned to the reality that tomorrow morning she might have him as an escort - there would no doubt be _someone _waiting for her.

Speaking of possible escorts...

"Are you headed home?" She peered up at Kurama, who was still firmly planted next to her.

"Mhmm," he said "soon."

"Soon?"

He tilted his head at her, dark green eyes sizing her up in a way she wasn't quite comfortable with. "It was just something you were saying earlier. Are you having trouble keeping up with your course load?"

He glanced down slowly at the stack of papers in her hand, leaving Kagome without a hope of waving off his concerns. She grimaced at the sheets. "Well, I've never been the brightest student, and I'm always pressed for time."

"I'm sure being here for only a few days has not helped matters."

She blushed. "No, I suppose not. I used to bring my stuff with me to the Feudal Era, but more often than not it got trashed or forgotten somewhere."

His lips quirked, pressed together in a small smile, but he allowed her the silence to continue.

"Plus, it started to seem so...trivial, y'know?" She continued. "There's so many other important things I should be focusing on, I couldn't keep holding everyone back just so I could live half in this world while I'm there. It wasn't fair."

"You speak of fairness a lot, for someone who has been dealt a considerably unjust hand." He said, speaking softly. Something about the setting sun made harsh tones and blusterous noise seem too crude.

Kagome took a moment to scrutinize the man before her. "You consider my lot to be unfair?"

"If you had never been in that well house, you could have gone on to have a normal life. You would never have been introduced to this world, and everything that accompanies it."

She noticed his lack of opinion. "That technically is true."

"But you don't agree with it?"

She shrugged. "You haven't asked me anything I need to agree with. Yes, my life would have been different if I wasn't in the well house that day. And maybe it _could_ have been normal, but there isn't any guarantee."

"So you believe you were meant to be on this journey of yours?"

Kagome could not say what she really thought, not to him. She barely had the courage to tell her closest friends the truth - that there would be no journey without her. She had been the one to bring the jewel back, she had been the one to break it. It was her burden to leave her normal life behind and fight, if only to rectify that mistake, but there was no chance she would complain to a man she had only just met.

"I believe there is no way to change what has already happened." She settled for.

Finally, he smiled at her, easing off of the inquiry. "An odd thought for a time-traveler to have."

"Indeed."

His smile only grew. What an amusing person she was turning out to be; she refused to answer him in full, and yet didn't seem content to lie to him either, instead finding a middle ground to work from. It pleased him, for it had been quite some time since he had encountered something so...engaging.

"If you would not be opposed," he asked, steering the conversation back "I'd like to help you with your studies. Our missions these days are few, and far in between, and I am certain Koenma would not mind if it was you I was assisting."

She stared at him for a moment, turning over the question. Actually, she frowned at him, turning over the _statement_, since Kurama seemed opposed to flat out asking anything. "I don't believe he would require that level of commitment."

"Neither do I," Kurama smiled politely "but I would very much like the chance to get to know you more."

"The me that you've met, or the me that you've heard about in the legend?" She did not forget how fascinated he was when Koenma had first pinned her as part of the shikon-hunters.

"Both, I believe. Are you two different people?"

She wanted to agree, to say that absolutely she was nothing like the fierce warrior that was streaked across a scroll. She settled for an, "I might be."

Kurama leaned back on his heels, never taking his eyes off of hers. "Well then, I would merely like to help. I promise you that my aid would be invaluable, even if I am only offering it because your story is alluring to me."

Kagome _had_ noticed his uniform, and she had not been gone for so long as to forget what a prestigious school Meiou High was. She knew Kurama was smart. But the idea of using an incomplete story to agree to his help was unsettling - Kagome was exhausted of trying to live up to some better version of herself.

"You're offering to help me study."

"Yes." He said, on the edge of a triumphant tone. He held it back if only because he could see the end in sight.

"Because you think I'll be an interesting story."

"Partially. I would also like to help your quest in any way I can; I understand the difficultly in balancing two lives."

"You do?" She asked.

"I do."

It seemed as though she was giving concession after concession tonight, despite her best attempts. He _was_ being honest however, and she couldn't lie to herself and think that her studies would be okay on their own. Kagome tried for a small smile. "Alright, then I would love your help. I am an absolute mess in school though, fair warning."

Kurama felt a small flush of pleasure run through him. "Thank you. Does Thursday work for you?"

He watched her free hand tap a small rhythm on her collarbone. "Honestly...that's perfect, I have a big math exam Friday."

"So soon?"

"Yeah," she smiled at him again, a light blush dusting her cheeks "I only ever make a point to return for big tests."

He leaned forward, making a show of catching her face in the dimming light. "So then it _is_ possible to tell when you'll be home."

Kagome had to tilt her head up to keep his face in her line of sight, her dimples widening. "I suppose it is."

"That's good to know."

She hummed a small agreement, swearing for a moment she could see his eyes flash gold. Already more questions were burning on the tip of her tongue, things about demons and time travel and how keeping a steady life in all this chaos was the hardest balance she had ever tried for, but they were all lost as she realized just how close their faces were.

Kagome pulled back suddenly. She steadied her papers in her hand and glanced around as if seeing for the first time how late it had become. "I should get going. Lots to do and all."

She hated how loud her voice sounded, as if it had broken a spell.

Kurama took his cue and stepped back. "I will see later then Kagome."

"Mhmm."

She turned around on her heel and began marching up the steps, determined to outpace the odd evening she had had. At the very least she had a lot to distract herself with. Quiet was not a word she commonly used in her vocabulary.

Kagome looked down at her papers once more, a guilty sensation curling and unfurling in the pit of her stomach. She stood for a moment on the steps, listening to the steady rhythm of the kitsune's footsteps, and with a resigned sigh she darted back down the stairs.

"Hey, Kurama!" She yelled.

He turned around at her call, only a meter or two away, but did not come any closer. His face was carefully blank, and as always it seemed he was waiting for her to decide.

"Thank you," she said, her eyes darting to the ground and back up at him "for offering to help. I'm sorry I'm being difficult."

He stood in silence for a pause longer, and slowly shook his head. "You are worried about losing your identity."

She looked at him with wide eyes. "Yes," She answered mindfully "it's an easy thing to lose track of, if you aren't careful."

He had to raise his voice a little to be heard. "I could not agree more."

"Okay then." She said, nodding to herself. Kurama's face broke into a lazy grin and he waved at her once more before turning back around. Kagome continued standing there for a moment however, staring at his departing back.

"Okay." She murmured to herself.

Perhaps, despite all of their concerns, having allies on this side of the well would not be so frightening after all.

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	5. Chapter 5

**AN:** Lookie, an update! It isn't terribly long, but I hope you enjoy :) Thanks to everyone for sticking with me!

* * *

This was it. This was how she died. The end was in sight and despite its complete blindsight she had to wonder why she had not predicted its coming. She should have expected it, by all means, since trust was such a precarious thing, and once lost it was truly a feat to earn back.

And this was agony to endure, to add insult to injury.

"So are you alright? I hear that _those_ type ofinfections," Yuka lowered her voice just slightly as she said this, although it did little to save Kagome from the scarlet blush that raced across her cheeks "can be _really_ awful."

Death by embarassment. What a way to go.

Kurama looked over at her out of the corner of his eye, his tone bordering on amusement. "Are you sick Kagome?"

She was going to _kill_ gramps.

She shot Kurama a dirty look - as if she'd even have the time to get sick! - and turned back to her friend. "Thanks Yuka, I'm feeling much better actually."

The brunette shook her head in deep-riddled sympathy. "Oh well I _am_ glad to hear that. You were out for so long this time we all thought it had taken a turn for the worst."

Sometimes, Kagome felt bad about lying to the trio of girls she had previously called her closest companions. They were kind-hearted people, even if sometimes that good will was grossly misplaced, and didn't deserve the persistent barrage of diseases Kagome was usually suffering from.

And then, sometimes, she couldn't be bothered to feel simultaneously ashamed about the slight pain she might cause, and the large annoyance she _knew_ was hiding just beneath her smile. Because gramps had taken it too far this time - what was wrong with a nice bout of the common cold? A persistent case of whooping cough?

"Nope, I just needed to rest for a few days. Thanks for bringing my notes over, I couldn't get through this stuff without it!"

Yuka smiled. "No worries! We're all glad to help out."

And the guilt came trickling back. But there was nothing she could say to assauge it. She couldn't tell her old friends what she was up to, for fear of disbelief or just of ruining the way they saw the world, and she couldn't stop the lies about her health. It was a necessary evil, something to balance out the time she spent running from this reality.

"Alright, well, then I really need to be heading out..." Kagome said, glancing back at the red head who was patiently waiting for her to finish up the interuption.

Yuka followed her gaze with wide eyes, looking over Kurama with a positively enthusiastic look. When she finally turned back to Kagome it was with a playful grin and a wink. "Oh no worries, I can see you're busy. I'll see you in class tomorrow!"

"Ah - " Kagome's protests died on her lips, as Yuka trotted off as quickly as she had come.

It was just after the end of classes today, marking the last day of Kagome's successful mini-mission in which she avoided her friends in any situation that did not constitute an educational swapping of notes. For whatever reason, her grandpa had begun researching diseases for her to contract, that while believable in their berevity and impacts, were coincidentally _awful_.

As students milled around the courtyard, swapping stories and complaints about the upcoming cold weather, Kagome studiously stared ahead at the spot her friend had just been occupying. It was only a few seconds that passed however, before her newest companion gave into temptation.

"Shut up." She turned around as she heard the first signs of laughter coming out of Kurama's throat.

She walked blithely past him, her shoulders held straight as she led the way to the library - it was Thursday and sure enough he had kept his promise of help. She could hear footsteps falling into line behind her, but when she glanced back around Kurama was still shaking with quiet laughter. He covered his mouth, hiding the mirth that still shone through his gaze.

"Shut _up_." Kagome repeated, although a small smile was working its way onto her face. "I live a very confusing life, and I don't want to be a truant."

It was either become a student with a bad reputation, like Yusuke, or be the sickly kid that still made the heart-warming attempt to attend classes. She had made, hopefully, the less damaging choice of the two.

Kurama was finally able to drop his hand and give Kagome a straight look. "I understand."

"My grandpa just gets a little too into it sometimes."

"Mhmm."

"I don't even _know_ what half of the diseases are." How could she, when she was missing half of the classes where she might have learnt the term?

"I'm sure." He replied, falling into step beside her.

"_Kuramaaa_." She whined, and he soon found he could not keep the smile off of his face for long.

He had to ask... "How many diseases have you had?"

Kagome sighed, dropping her shoulders down in a slouch. Too many. "I'd just be guessing, honestly, and if I can help it I don't actually ever ask gramps what I have. I want to remain as blissfully ignorant as possible."

He laughed. He had known she'd missed a lot during her travels, but she had never let on that the only reason the school was so forthcoming in allowing her these absences was because of full on _lies_. "Fair enough. I'm impressed you can stay in school at all."

She shrugged, straightening up self-consciously as they re-entered the school. The principal had very kindly agreed to let her stay in the main library past regular school hours, and although she had suspected that the pitying look he had sent her way had more to do with her latest illness than her struggling grades, she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

She repeated something of what she had been telling Botan earlier. "I need to. If I wrote off who I am in this time for who I must be in the past, I wouldn't have either worlds. It's easy to forget some days that indeed this time is mine."

Kurama looked down at the young woman, no older than he in simple human years yet having to undergo experiences that, with all of his memories and melding with Youko's adventures, even he could barely imagine - despite having had the opportunity to hear them first hand from the priestess herself. He knew from her gait that the injuries under her bandage still hindered her, and had to wonder if like that, she bore through resentment and frustration better than most, with a smile tacked on her face.

What he couldn't figure out was if it was foolish or smart of her to attempt such folly.

"It is difficult to pretend to be who you once were." He thought back to her friend, bright and cheery if not a bit oblivious - much like every other girl Kagome's age.

"It is," she said thougthfully "but it's not like I have lost anything that has not been paid back to me twice over."

She looked up at him, the deceptive smile still twined in her features. "Maybe I'm not that girl anymore, but that is not _just _a bad thing. As much as I'm no longer naive I am also no longer ignorant. As many friends as I've lost the ability to connect to, I've gained real family that I love and trust more than I ever could had we not gone through what we have. It isn't a blessing or a curse, it's just part of the path I'm on."

Kagome was willing to ramble on about these thoughts if only because she knew that Kurama was a curious by nature and had seemed to zero in on her story as his latest interest. It was refreshing too, to be able to talk outloud about something she never thought she would be able to. She couldn't talk with her family and let them know the real horrors that she sometimes had to face, nor could she really discuss the full scope of implications that came with her lifestyle with her friends in the past. They didn't understand her world or what she gave up to be with them, and while they loved her and appreciated the sacrifice, she couldn't talk to them about it. Especially not when they too had lost so much due to this fight.

She laughed to herself softly, pulling both herself and Kurama out of deep thoughts as she glanced up at him. "We were just having this conversation a few nights ago."

"So we were." He murmured. "But I cannot tell if you're being honest or just putting on a good show."

She chose to not take offense with his doubt. "Ultimately that is for you to decide I guess."

Kurama nodded thoughtfully, absently following the brunette as she made her way around the twists and turns of the school. She claimed to be content being on this path of hers - a path that was bound to be filled with much more darkness and terror than any other she could have been on. If Kagome had chosen, like so many others would have, to avoid the well after everything had happen, to shrink from her duties and from the terrifying reality that presented itself to her, then her days could have been filled with small trivialities instead of life and death ones. She probably could've been happy, eventually forgetting about the weird occurrance that had happened when she was fifteen, and perhaps eventually passing it all of as some strange dream.

But why hadn't she? What was it that made this girl, this _woman_, different? Why was she so willing to fight a battle that did not have to be hers? She had done the proper thing, absolutely, but many in her place would not have. What made her choose the more difficult path?

They walked into the library, the familiar smell of old books and dusty tomes instantly putting Kurama back at ease. Answers would come, slowly but surely, and he knew he should revel in the opportunity for a new challenge rather than rush through the intricacies of it.

They soon found a table in the far back corner, lit by several well placed lamps and the softening daylight. Kagome took a seat across from his, looking up at him from under her eyelashes and smiling pleasently at him. She was always smiling.

"Thank you, again, for doing this." She said.

He nodded. "Thank you for letting me."

Kagome laughed, turning so as to pull out some textbooks as she talked. "I think my constantly being threatened and kidnapped and attacked has turned me into more of a cynic than I was before. That's something that's changed." She did not apologize for it however.

Kurama _liked _that she refused to bow down to his questions, and that she was willing to stand up for the decisions she made. It was...refreshing.

"Kidnapped?" He could not help but zero in on the this detail. When she and Inuyasha had been telling their story she had left out a lot of the details regarding the manner in which most of their fights were started. He suspected that she was editing for her companion's sake.

"Mhmm, being the weakest in the group has placed a bit of a target on my back. It doesn't help much that I'm female and don't look much like a fighter." She waved off Kurama's furrowed eyebrows and tight face. "Inuyasha always comes for me in the end, and I'm training as much as I can these days."

"So you train while you're on the road?"

Kagome nodded. "If I can. It isn't always realistic however, since we're also fighting a lot and need to preserve our strength."

A thought suddenly came to Kurama, but he pushed it down with reluctance - better to analyze the possibilities later and then see how much of her life the priestess was willing to share.

"Understandable."

She pulled out the final stack of papers, an odd assortment of old exams and reviews that she should have finished but never did. "But we're always working! We plan on being at our very best whenever Naraku chooses to strike next."

He cocked his head at her. "You're being much more forthcoming than I thought you would be, given your reluctance to accept my help."

He couldn't help but point this out, even running the risk of revealing to her how much more of herself she was showing.

Thankfully Kagome just continued to smile placidly. "I thought about it, and as long as we're clear that I'm not some mythical being from a scroll, then there isn't any reason for me to be defensive about my life. You know my story, so I don't have anything big to hide, and I made a choice."

"A choice?"

She hummed a little agreement. "Yup. I'm going to trust you Kurama."

He could not help his answering look, loosing a small slip of control as he gave her a questioning glance. "You're going to trust me."

"I am. In return, I'd really like that you come to trust me as well."

Before he had a chance to pounce on this contigency, a rather clever plan of hers, he thought, Kagome interrupted. "Now, I'm not demanding that you trust me. I won't hold out on answering your questions just because you refuse to answer mine."

He bit back his first statement, curling his tongue inwards until the proper words could come out. "You are just going to trust me?"

She nodded. "I am."

"Even though you know nothing about me, except that I work for Koenma." And that he really wanted to pick apart her thoughts and behaviours concerning her trips to the past.

This time her smile was much more beguiling. "And that you're a _kitsune_."

"_Oh_." He said, suddenly catching on. Still, he let her continue.

"So what I'm proposing is that we play a bit of a game." She had grown up these last three years with a small kit in her company, and if there was one thing Kagome was certain about it was that foxes could not resist a challenge of wits.

"And what exactly are the terms of this game?" Kurama asked.

"It's simple. For as much as you want to know about me, I am just as interested in you and your story. For every question you ask I get to request one in return. The first person who refuses to answer loses; there's no time limit on this either, it can go on for months."

She softened her smile at the thoughtful look on her new friend's face. "I meant what I said earlier - I won't hold back talking about my life and my journey just because you don't want to trust me with yours."

"But what I'm suggesting," she continued "is a fair exchange of information. You'll get _much _more out of me this way. And I'm still willing to answer whatever you ask beyond the scope of the game, but since I am as eager of a player as the next fox, I'll be less likely to avoid answering some of the...let's say, more delicate questions that you might want to ask."

Kurama could not help his answering grin. What a _smart_ woman, choosing to not only accept his honest curiousity, but to take full advantage of it. Clever, clever girl.

He threaded his fingers through one another, resting his chin ontop of them as he placed his elbows on the table. "What are the terms exactly?"

Kagome lifted up her hand, counting the rules on each fingers. "One: A participant gets to ask one question for the other to answer, and refusal to respond on either's part results in a loss. Once the person answers, it becomes their turn to ask a question. Two: There can't be any deception when answering the question, and that's _including_ answers which are purposely vague or misleading. Three: Any questions that the other person chooses to answer _after_ the first one is at their own discretion. Four: There is no time limit on asking questions, but the answer must come within twenty-four hours, or it is a loss."

Kurama raised his head, placing his interlocked fingers down on the table in an attempt to control his burgeoning excitment - he already had the obvious advantage, since he knew the majority of her story. Kagome however knew next to nothing of his. He nodded once, allowing only a small smirk to alight his face. "Your terms are acceptable."

"Perfect!" She exclaimed, much less concerned with keeping a calm facade. "I'll let you go first, since you extended the initial olive branch and offered to help me study."

At the mention of her schoolwork, Kurama shot the several stacks of disused paper a considering look. He nodded slowly, straightening up and pulling a few of the old exams towards him. "Alright, then I will consider my first question carefully."

She smiled. "You do that."

"In the meantime..." he trailed off, holding up her paper so as to bring her elation back to the subject at hand.

"Oh right," she said, her tone much more dejected than it had been before "_those._"

He laughed. "Allow me the opportunity to _prove_ my olive branch useful."

"A necessary evil I suppose."

He laid the first test down flat, taking in with great strides the large amount of red markings on the page. As if reading his thoughts - or perhaps his face, for Kurama was much less in control than he'd like to be, due to the pleasure he found in his newest pursuit - Kagome drew his attention back with a horrified moan. "Don't get all scared off when you see those."

"I won't." He promised.

"Just remember, I have a very valid reason for doing so poorly."

"You do."

"And also I hate math. A lot."

Kurama chuckled. "I would not base any judgement I have on you off of how you perform in school."

"That's good," she said "because otherwise you'd have a really low opinion of me."

He smiled at her concern, taking a few more of the marked exams out of her hands. As he read over the results - many of which _were_ pretty awful - he grinned to himself. She may not be a bright student, and really who could blame her. She was more often than not absent from classes, and she certainly didn't posess the time to work on such simple things as homework. But she was not dumb. His grin widened and he ducked his head down to hide it.

No, she was proving to be immensely intelligent and playful. A beautiful woman who fought demons and played games and took everything that happened to her with a light heart and a smile. She was definitely more than she gave herself credit for. Why, if he had to pin it down, Kurama would say she was positively _kitsune_ like.

. . . . .

"You barely know the girl."

"I know she is a priestess, and from her story a powerful one. I know you like her."

Kurama sighed. "She is not the _enemy_, Hiei, just a girl trying to fight a battle that is too big for her."

"So you won't deny that you like her?"

Kurama pulled back a scowl, well aware that the hybrid was simply attempting to get a rise out of him. "I do not _like_ her, I am merely fascinated by her story. You know just as well as I the person she is supposed to become."

Not that she would like him telling Hiei as much - expectations always results in some manner of failure. But it had been about a week since Kagome had left once more for her travels, and he had spent much of this time mulling over the things she had given him. An opportunity for intimate knowledge of her journey, without the fussiness of coraling her into telling him. All he wanted was for his pieces to be in place by the time she returned, so that he could foster the trust she had decided to place in him.

Regardless of whether that trust was deserving or not.

"Hm."

"Hiei."

"I do not fancy an even stronger priestess running around. Especially not one that Koenma likes."

"True," to be fair, typically anyone the young godling favoured right off the bat was someone the rest of the team was sure to find fault in "but think of who she is. Her journey is meant to save our worlds."

"Supposedly." The distinction was important to Hiei.

They were in Kurama's room, which was realistically the largest one in his new apartment. He had bought the place when his mother and step-father had moved out of the old house, knowing that he would need a place of his own eventually anyway. Hiei was, for lack of a better word, curled up in the small alcove beside the window, his disinterested eyes closed to the setting sun. Kurama sat adjacent to him, in a large cushioned chair that was meant to be in the living room. "She claims to hold no ill-will to demonkind."

One red eye cracked open in dull amusement. "She would not state anything to the contrary."

"You think she is lying?"

"Hn."

Kagome was _much_ easier to get answer out of than the koorime was. Kurama thought - although his beliefs were still underdeveloped - that it was a strange mixture of this open disposition and the initial segment of her life being raised by a single-parent family in a shrine with some unique points of view that gave the priestess her position in the world as a supporter of life, without distinctions.

"Did you hear the legend growing up?"

Although Hiei would like to argue that he had been _born_ an adult, forfeiting any time where he was not a 'grown-up', it was a pointless argument. "It was a popular story."

"The clans I grew up in favoured the story, but I always suspected something became lost when adoring wives and mothers recited it to their kin. It was told as more of a story than a myth however, since it had only been several decades since it had happened. How did you hear it?" Kurama asked, green eyes bright.

"You are insufferably curious."

"You don't need to answer if you don't want to."

Hiei scowled - _he_ knew that. But after a moment's pause, during which Kurama had settled to stare into space trailing after whatever thought he was currently possessed by, he spoke. "Some of the younger bandits were fond of telling stories about impossible treasures. It came up then."

"Sometimes her group was talked about in reverence, since they were strong and time only favours the winners. A lot of the time it was told as a warning, for their adversary was nothing but a hanyou who reached for too much."

Kurama dropped his gaze so that he was looking once more at his friend. "Both of those statements are true, in their own right."

"Perhaps. Perhaps her and her companions don't even win." Hiei said.

It _was_ a probability. "Maybe. Or possibly it is your aid that saves them in the final battle."

"You are running out of reasons fox. Why do you request my help at all? The detecive is more than capable of teaching a human wench some combat tricks."

"Yusuke has already agreed to aid Miss Kagome." Even if that only meant he had somehow gotten Genkai's agreement to allow them to practice on her property. "But you are much better at sword work, and I am under the impression that a close combat weapon would be most beneficial to our new friend."

Kurama _did_ believe that Hiei would find Kagome to be one of the less annoying humans he knew, which by the hybrid's standards was a big complement. She had also let it slip that she had been training with a wakizashi, one which she could fill with purified energy, much like her legendary arrows. What a _sight_ that would be. Kurama had not had the chance to see a priestess in action.

"You just want to observe her some more." Hiei pointed out.

The red-head frowned slightly. "That is not a bad thing."

"That obsessively inquisitive nature of yorus will hurt you one day."

"Oh, are you admitting you would care if I got snubbed?" Kurama teased. He knew that the small demon held a soft spot for him, but heavens if he could not help but exploit it from time to time.

"I have better things to do right now." Hiei declared, narrowing his eyes at his friend. "I will consider your proposition, but I won't make a decision until I have a chance to _observe_ her myself."

Kurama knew that the small admission was the best he would get from the koorime. "Thank you Hiei."

With barely more than a passing grunt, the young demon was gone from his perch. Likely to check in on his sister or to perhaps make his way back to the Makai for the evening. In any case, the more Kurama pressured Hiei in one evening, the less likely he would even consider teaching Kagome anything at all.

And for his purposes, it would be best to share a little piece of his puzzle with his friends. The more of the group that Kagome was endeared to, the likelier it was that the priestess would open up to everyone. It had the double benefit of helping her physically and mentally, increasing her chances of surviving what were already very low odds. And then, at the end of the day, Kurama would be able to hear everything directly from her. Short of actual time travel, it was the best possible scenario for him to get the maximum amount of information.

He would entwine her so deeply in _this_ time, that she would have no chance of escape.

. . . . .

It was night time when she returned, but then again, when wasn't this wretched place enshrouded in the dark? The sky bled a constant red and the grounds swirled with lingering miasma at each slow step she took - Naraku probably enjoyed watching the rising sun as much as he would revel in the news she was about to bring.

The certainty of his impending ire caught her between pleasure and fear. As it always did.

With a deft twist of her wrist Kagura unlatched the complicated lock to the hidden door, giving way to the inner sanctum. A long puff of dark mist crept out as she did so. She brought her fan back up to her face, if only to give the illusion of a calm disposition, and perhaps to keep the abrasive stuff from lingering too long, and entered the heart of the castle.

"You've returned."

His voice spoke out into the darkness, and she turned to it. "Yes milord."

"And?"

"It is as you feared," she lowered her eyes, deferring to the man who suddenly appeared in front of her "the priestess is unharmed."

When he had first caught word that the young miko had survived their encounter, appearing no worse for the wear, Naraku had dissolved into a fit of bemused rage. A lot of which involved broken rooms and harsh screams as he drifted around the compound. It was all he _could_ do, Kagura thought rebelliously, since he had been too injured by the priestess to do much else. The wave of purification that had stung the hanyou had left its scent on him, and even the most oblivious of his servants here could see how slow he was healing.

However, this was Naraku, and he was not to be pushed down for long. As his recovery progressed, he demanded to know what had happened - no human would have survived the wound the priestess had gotten. Kagura had been following the shard-hunting group for weeks now, although she could not get too close without one of their members sensing her presence, or smelling the scent of Naraku that pervaded her body. As a result, she had only been able to see them in battle, but that was exactly what she had needed.

"And that was all you discovered, in the time I allowed you to flee from my sight?"

She raised her head finally, annoyed at the threat lingering in his words. There was little moonlight filtering through - although whether that light was real or created, Kagura did not know - but it illuminated the figure before her.

He appeared relaxed, lounging on a tatami mat in the center of the room, his usual robes billowing out beside him. He wore them more fully these days, perhaps to hide the scars that still lingered on his skin; purification _was_ a messy attack. Red eyes stayed trained on her form, and despite her better height she could not help but feel incredible small in his presence.

It infuriated her.

Kagura tightened her grip on the fan, but moved it away from her face. Such tactics did not amuse Naraku, and he appeared to be in an already bad mood. "No milord. I watched them retrieve the shard," she hesitated to tell him this "and it appeared as if it..._flew_ into the girl."

Naraku frowned briefly, narrowing his eyes on her. "She is using the jewel for her own gain?"

Kagura shook her head. "I don't believe so, it looked like an involuntary reaction. She does not appear to be any stronger than before either - the demon you sent them presented a difficult battle."

He nodded. As it should have, for he had scouted out the dimwitted youkai weeks ago solely for his brute strength and regenetative abilities. The only downside to allowing the simpering fools another shard was that he had not been able to absorb the demon himself.

It did not matter that he had lost a piece of the shikon, not when anything less than the whole jewel was useless to him. Besides, he would leave to retrieve what was his soon enough.

His scowl turn on the wind-witch, who could not hold back the shudder she felt under his gaze. "I do not care for your _beliefs_ wench. Leave. I will call for you when you are needed."

Kagura raised her fan once more, likely to hide the grimace that had etched itself onto her face, and bowed out of the room. He could feel her aggravation like a flame, licking at him as she left the compound. One of the more satisfying qualities of her defiance was the amusement it provided, and if there was one thing that could warm his heart it was a woman completely under his control, yet convinced otherwise.

But she was not worth toying with at the moment.

Naraku leaned back, contemplating this information. So, the priestess had absorbed the jewel. That would explain her newfound durability. It was not very often that a mere human, even a half-assed miko, survived an encounter with him where their destruction was his goal. Although more troublesome than before, the bitch had elevated her status from mere hindrance to potential toy.

He pulled out his portion of the sacred jewel from where it rested in the confines of his robes, tapping on the swirling black jewel with tipped claws. What was the advantage of keeping such an incomplete thing _in_ his body? It already gave him the undestroyable quality that made his demise an impossibilty, as well as the freedom to do whatever he willed. _He_ controlled the jewel, not the other way around.

Tucking the piece back in, Naraku decided. It did not matter where his musings led him, he only needed to test out some theories. So what if there was an indestructible miko with _his_ piece of the jewel? Running a finger over the scar that stretched across his chest, Naraku allowed the feeling of intesnse fury to once more rise in him with each breath. It was time. The bitch would pay tenfold for what she had done.

He would retrieve what was rightfully his, even if he had to light a fire on her body and pluck the shikon from her ashes.


	6. Chapter 6

Yusuke was there waiting for her when she returned.

Kagome looked up at the proffered hand in surprise, accepting it with no small measure of gratefulness. It was such a _pain_ to pull herself up out of the well each time she returned home sans-Inuyasha; Gramps had placed a small ladder there, which certainly helped somewhat, but at the end of her travels it was not a climb she enjoyed.

"Oh you're-" she grunted as she swung up the yellow bag that was still crowded with supplies "-here! Hello!"

The detective took her backpack from her, easily swinging it over his shoulder, a relaxed grin on his face. Kagome would've been a bit bitter about the show of strength, but she was too thankful to finally be rid of the thing. Besides, it gave her the opportunity to clear the rim of the well and step outside into the sunshine.

"Hey." Yusuke greeted.

She took in his position with a wavering smile. "Are you guys are waiting for me here now?"

She was accepting the new mother-hen role of the Spirit Detectives in good form, accommodating them as the new constant in her modern life. Kagome happened to _like_ people, and she loved making new friends regardless of the circumstances. But to have the detectives play watchdog for her return implied a lack of trust on Koenma's part, and it put her distinctively outside of her comfort zone.

Yusuke shrugged off her question. "Koenma's been trying out ways to track when the portal here activates. He _was_ working on it the last time you left too, but he figured you'd be back earlier that time."

_That_ explained the worried phone calls then. "That's a little unnecessary. But…nice I suppose. It seems to be working now at least?"

Kagome slowed down so that she walking in step with Yusuke, her face tilted upwards. Did she mention that this was the first time in over a week that she had been one hundred percent dampness-free? It had done nothing but rain in the Feudal Era! Oh the sun was so _nice_.

Yusuke shook his head, a deadpanned expression on his face. "No, not really. This is the third time I've been here this week. Even then, I've been here for a while now - I only caught ya 'cause I felt the well start up. That stuff's powerful magic."

"Oh no!" she exclaimed. "I'm sorry to cut in on so much of your time!"

He shrugged again. "No worries. It's either run over here each time the brat thinks you're home, or run around in the Makai and keep order there."

"Well...okay then." Kagome trailed off doubtfully.

Yusuke adjusted the straps of the rather bright monstrosity on his back, shooting the priestess a worried glance. "Hey, look..."

When Kagome brought her eyes to his, confirming his suspicions, Yusuke stopped walking. "No _really_." He insisted, staring down the uncertainty in the girl's face. "The brat just idolizes ya, and he can't help himself from tryin' to fix a problem that ain't happened yet. It's actually a praise, if you can manage to see it that way."

Personally, Yusuke agreed with Kagome. Being _this_ helpful was just a bit too much. Besides, she seemed trustworthy enough, or at least hadn't done anything to say otherwise, and she could damn well just contact them on her own. His boss however was insistent on lending her as much protection as possible, even if she hadn't asked for it. Which apparently included tracking her movements in case help was needed.

From the way the toddler carried on, Yusuke half expected to see Kagome's bloody body lying at the bottom of the well one of these trips.

Thankfully her emotions were as quick to turn as Keiko's were, for she smiled up at him. "I _know_. It's just a lot to take in right away."

_Ah_. "Rough trip?"

Kagome nodded, gesturing vaguely to the grounds around her. "It _poured_ all week, and we couldn't find anything, even if we had known where to look."

Upon closer inspection, Yusuke could make out the dark bruises under her eyes. "That's not normal?" He asked.

She didn't follow. "What isn't?"

"Not finding anything. From the way you explained it with the brat, I thought most of your time was spent travellin' in circles."

He hadn't _meant_ for the sentence to come out so rudely, but Kagome didn't seem to notice. She leaned back on her heels absent mindedly. "It wasn't when we started."

Before he had the chance to even think up more small talk, the priestess was herding him forward towards the house. "I am so looking forward to a hot bath!" She exclaimed, stretching her arms above her back as she did so. It was unwittingly provocative, but Yusuke held his tongue. Just because he had the thoughts didn't mean he had to get in trouble for speakin' 'em out loud.

A brief silence settled over the two as they walked towards the main house, and a thought finally occurred to Kagome. "Yusuke?"

"Yeah?"

"Why _are_ you here still?" She turned to pin inquisitive eyes on the man. "You said you'd been waiting for a while?"

"Er…" He scratched the back of his head embarrassedly, squinting forwards towards the house. "Well your mom spotted me the second time I came over, and I couldn't let her think I was some stranger lurkin' about. It might scare her, y'know?"

She groaned at his confession. "Oh no, Mama caught you? I'm sorry, she just loves to hear about my life, and I'm never around to tell her."

"Nah, it's cool. Besides, I think she just wanted to hear you were safe." Besides, not that Yusuke would ever admit it out loud, but he happened to like the motherly attention. It was a big part of his life that was lacking, and Kagome's mom made it real easy to forget that. Plus, she'd seemed so much more interested in his job working for the Reikai and how he balanced it all, rather than the whole demon, brought-back-to-life (multiple times), defender of the free world thing.

He frowned to himself. Did Kagome tell her mother _everything?_

Apparently so, because Kagome immediately cringed. "Uh-oh. I know that silence._And_ that look. She asked you about your life, didn't she? Oh I _knew_ that she would jump on the first supernatural thing to show up in this time-"

Yusuke laughed. "No! Well, I mean yeah, she did, but I don't mind. Your family's nice."

She nodded, although her cheeks kept a small dusting of pink. "Yeah, I'm lucky. And I'm sorry too. I love them to pieces, but Mama can be _so_ curious."

A far better quality, he thought, than wanting to know nothing about your child.

"Oh," Kagome continued, striding forward to get to the front door first "well if you've been here for a while already, you'll have to stay for dinner."

She said it matter-of-factly, which was the only part that really caught Yusuke off guard. "Uhm…"

"She's definitely already made an extra portion for you, and _I'm_ the one who'll get in trouble if you don't come. It'll be fun!" She rushed to add, as the detective's face had gone decidedly pale. "You can catch me up on what's happened while I was gone."

She glanced past his shoulder, noting how late in the sky the sun was already. Despite the warmth of the afternoon, it was fast approaching fall and the days were quite a bit shorter – it'd be dark soon, and she couldn't bear to think of letting him head home this late in the day without visiting first. _Maybe I can even convince him to just crash here tonight…walking home in the evening would just be too much._

When she looked back, Yusuke was giving her a long and steady look, still holding the heavy bag over his shoulder. Kagome's smile faltered a little. "Unless you already have plans of course…"

Yusuke faced immeasurable danger at the hesitating look on the young woman's face. _Damnit_. "Nah, I've got nothin' going on. Thanks."

_Better this than another evening fending for myself I suppose._

"Awesome!" She smiled brightly again, grabbing his hand to lead him through the door. "Well come on in then. Inuyasha had us on rations, and I am _dying_ for some real food!"

. . .

She prodded the lump gently at first, eliciting only a half-hearted groan and some sort of shuffling. Kagome's next poke was much harder – not that it did her any good. The mass of limbs and blankets merely let out another garbled noise, flopped off of the couch, and continued to snore.

She sighed. Oh well. She _had_ given him fair warning. The third nudge was accompanied by a small spark of priestess energy. Yusuke snarled, frightening absolutely no one, and shot out from under the cover of warmth.

"Oi!" He growled, sounding appropriately like Inuyasha – not that Kagome ever had a chance to catch the hanyou sleeping – before bleary eyes recognized who they stared at. His expression muted slightly, but the grumbling persisted.

"You didn't hav'ta get so rough right away." He said with a grin, leaning back into the pile of blankets. Said pile protested again, before another swath of black hair emerged.

Souta yawned deeply, running a hand through his hair. "Mornin' sis."

"Good morning Souta." She greeted politely.

"Morning Yusuke!" He said, with much more enthusiasm this time. Kagome sighed again. _He was practically drooling when he found out I knew _the_ Yusuke Urameshi. _

"Mornin' kiddo. You get to that final level last night?"

"No, the boss was _really_-"

Before either of the boys could get started in another fantasy game rant, Kagome cut in. "Hey now, there's this tremendous thing called _school_ today, and I was thinking it'd be really awesome if we all went. What do you think?"

The two guys shared a look, before turning back to her with a simultaneous "_Nah_."

It only took another threatening glare and a pink spark before Yusuke was up on his feet. "C'mon kid," he said, hoisting up Souta and tossing him over his shoulder with a grin "the boss says it's time to get ready."

Her brother laughed. "Aye aye!"

Yusuke shot Kagome another jaunty look, walking casually away with Souta still slung over his shoulder, and she couldn't help but laugh. "And hurry!" She called after them.

She had corralled Yusuke into staying the night that first day, after her had filled himself to the brim with the huge meat dish Mama had made. True to form, when her mother had heard that Kagome was back and Yusuke had gone to retrieve her, she had pulled out the big guns – without the detective's help, Kagome was positive they'd be taking baths in gravy. After that it was easy enough to tempt Yusuke back over, with the promise of good food and some video games that Souta had dug up. The kid was living the high life right now, finally having another enthusiast in the house to pull all-nighters with and beat stuff up on the screen.

Truthfully, Kagome was just happy it wasn't her getting shanghaied into playing them. Souta was on the cusp of teenagehood, and it appeared to be accompanied by an even more intense frenzy of gaming, and oddly enough the violence in the video games made her squeamish.

She walked into the kitchen, spotting her third head of black hair bent over the stove. "What're you making for them now?"

Mrs Higuarshi smile back at her daughter. "Just a few things, nothing fancy."

"You're too kind." Kagome said, hearing a large _thump_ come from upstairs, followed by a series of muffled shouts.

"Well, they _are_ growing boys dear, they need the sustenance."

Kagome laughed. "Alright Mama, if you say so."

"I do. Do you hear where that boss of his sends him?" Her mother frowned, placing a worried hand on her cheek. "The least I could do is give him something good to start the day with."

Indeed, she _had_ hear more tidbits of Yusuke's story these last few days, supplemented by the ones that Koenma had already told her. The number of times that boy had been nearly or actually killed was astounding! Kagome had thought her life was complicated to explain, but it did not appear she was the only one.

Plus, the reiki powers he possessed? Totally cool.

"I know. He told me he might be sent off to the Makai in a few weeks, for a patrol mission."

Since Kagome was adamant on attending school as much as possible during her free time back, Yusuke was obliged to go with her in his official capacity as 'Legendary Priestess Watchdog' – as he called it. It allowed for her to get to know the young man, beyond someone who reminded her strongly of another, and to hear a bit more about what he did for Koenma. Apparently, whatever it was, he had wrangled the young demigod into paying him, so the detective didn't mind the work so much.

"Oh my. And you're leaving around then as well?" Mama asked.

"Yup!" Kagome said. "End of next week. We didn't find much last time, and I have exams. Inuyasha was nice enough to let study for them here."

Well, it had taken a lot of wrangling from Miroku, who valued the education, and Shippo, who was all too willing to bite onto Inuyasha's ear and hang on until he'd agreed, but he had. The hanyou trusted her a lot more these last few years, and despite the big show he put on Kagome knew there was no way he'd deny her a chance at a future. Especially since they didn't know what would happen after the shikon was put back together, if she'd have the opportunity to choose which world to stay in, or if the timeline would force her home. Either way, the path that was opened up by _not_ failing high school was one she was keen to keep.

"Souta will be sad to have both of you gone."

"I know," Kagome said "but we'll both be back before knows it."

Just as she said this a large _thunk_ was heard and Souta skidded into the room. "I win!" He shouted behind him.

Yusuke walked in. "Yeah, yeah, alright."

"That means you've gotta come with me today!"

"Pardon?"

Yusuke grinned at her. "Well I promised the runt that I'd be his escort today."

"Oh so you're bailing out on me?" She teased.

The slow shake of his head confused her. "You're _not_ bailing out on me?"

"Well no," he admitted, his smile only growing wider "Kurama's going to meet up with us. The _both_ of us."

Souta threw his hands up in a cheer. "Yeah! We're both getting escorted!"

"Well I mean, it's just as well. Your sister needs all the protection she can get." Yusuke quip, with a _poke_ and _prod_ of his own.

Kagome's following groan interrupted the two. "Wait, does that mean we're even _later_ than before?"

Souta's school was adjacent to Kagome's, so technically he was on the way that the two older kids walked. The only reason he never left with them was because the middle school began half an hour earlier – meaning they'd have to leave thirty minutes earlier.

Yusuke grinned. "Absolutely!"

. . . .

The detective's word proved right, and five minutes later the trio was rushed out of the front door by a harried Kagome. At the bottom of the shrine steps waited the only punctual one of the lot.

"Hey there!" She called, pausing in her pace just enough to pull the confused red head along with her. Despite not being the one running late herself, she was still a ways ahead of the other two, who lagged behind swapping jokes and masculinity. And probably gaming tricks.

"Good morning." Kurama greeted, easily keeping up with her quick strides – as he should, since the red head pretty much towered over her. _Geeze, these boys and their heights. How's a girl supposed to get a leg up?_

Kagome giggled at herself, finding it in her to slow down. She let out a breath she knew she had been holding and began the mental list of everything she had likely forgotten at home in her haste.

"I would think you'd be used to getting up early. From what you said early your friend Inuyasha is quite motivated." He pointed out.

It was a polite way of saying the hanyou was a slave-driver, and she thanked him silently for trying. "Actually, I find it a lot easier to get up when we're travelling. I don't know if it's the sleeping on the floor thing, or the fact that I _know_ it's coming, but I kind of got over it the first couple of weeks I was with Inuyasha."

"Ah. Home comforts allow for a bit of well-needed lounging then."

"Exactly!" She exclaimed. "Oh dear, I am so sorry though if we made you get up earlier than you'd like! You probably want to lounge about a bit as well."

Kurama shook his head. Behind them he could hear the ease of conversation between Yusuke and Kagome's brother, and had to admit a little bit of jealousy into his next sentence. "I had my fair share in the length of your absence."

Kagome chuckled good-naturedly. "Man, is watching after me the only mission Koenma sends you on?"

She found it easier to joke about this after a lengthy chat with Yusuke about the intricacies of Koenma's paranoia. After a few _hours_ of well-placed assurances and gruff compliments, she was much more comfortable in her new role as prize-piece.

"It differs for each of us." Kurama admitted. "Yusuke plans on picking it up as a job once his schooling has ended, so he is a far bit busier than I or Kuwabara, who are aiming for other plans."

"Ooh, like what? Higher education?"

He was pleased with her curiosity. "While I can't speak for the others that is most definitely the path I would like to be on."

She tilted her head so that she was looking at him more fully as they walked. "That's really impressive. If it's you, I'm sure you can get into any field you want."

She said it so simply, so very straightforwardly, that Kurama knew she had not necessarily been trying to overtly praise him. "And you?" He asked. "Do you have any plans for after this year?"

"Honestly, I'll be happy if I just make it through this year." She confessed. Schooling was a bit of a sore spot for her. "And I find it kind of pointless to plan for something I'm not sure I'll have."

_Ah._ And on that note… "How _were_ your travels this time?"

"A bit boring really."

"Oh?"

She could hear the questions in his tone, and so, Kagome launched into another in-depth explanation of the futility and the _rain _that made up her last week of travel. She hadn't seen the kitsune since getting home, and if he was willing and wanting to hear out, she was all too happy to vent. And while Kagome worked at trying to imbue in her tale as much optimism and cheer as she could, Kurama used the chance to study her, his head tilted to the side as he attempted to pick through her rambling ease. Thick black hair was tied up in a ponytail, tiny curls casually framing her face, and he had to imagine for a moment what it must be like to travel with her, surrounded by wilderness and danger and this fearless bravado that she always exuded.

The illusion was thankfully dispelled by a well-placed expletive and the thought that perhaps Kagome was less of the elegant and calm priestess variety and more of the type to pick up her companions more brash traits.

At the end of her story – the furtive retelling of the group's latest demonic encounter – Kurama affirmed his beliefs. "I believe your idea of a dull week is vastly at odds with most people."

She grinned. "Probably."

Her proclamation was echoed by a young laugh, and Kagome allowed a moment of silence for a wary glance behind her. It wasn't that Yusuke was in any way a _bad _influence…just that two roguish heads together were far worse than one.

"Honestly, I _am_ glad to have you back in our time, despite its comparative dullness." Kurama was all too keen to draw her attention back.

"Oh yeah?"

"Mhmm," He confirmed "because while you were off facing rampant youkai–"

"Just a few." Kagome interjected.

"Right." He amended. "While you were off facing _a few_ rampant youkai, I spent my week with nothing to do but think up all of the many varied aspects of missing pieces in your story."

She took this in stride. "Man, you really would have nothing else to do if it weren't for protecting me."

His ensuing smile, tight across his face, made Kagome giggle. "No, no, I'm sorry. I know what you meant. You have something you want to ask me?"

"An official start to our game." He nodded, his grin easing into pleasure.

"Excellent." She turned to him, blue eyes bright and trusting and just begging to be asked. "Shoot!"

He _had_ been turning this over in his mind for a while, longer than just the days between when he had last asked and when she had begrudgingly sidestepped. It was only fitting that his first question be in line with the one he was most eager to know about. "I thought to start with one about the beginning of your journey." She looked at him oddly but he went on. "Why did you never consider staying in this time? At the very start of everything, when you first arrived back and you had just witnessed what others would deem unbelievable, why did you ever return to the past? It is my understanding that you returned home relatively soon after your first trip."

"You want to know why I went back?"

"Essentially, yes."

"And why I kept going back?"

"Yes." He nodded, hands buried deep in his pockets. She was trying very hard to grasp the crux of what he wanted to know, the question of what exactly made this girl so different from the rest. He appreciated the effort, and her commitment to the integrity of their game, but she was unwittingly drawing him in with a prolonged gaze. She considered both him and the question carefully.

Kagome tapped her chin, drawing him out of these thoughts. "Hmm…well, I never really _had _a chance to. By the time I really understood the dangers, it was too late. I'd been there too long and there was no way I could turn my back on everyone."

_Hmm_. "So it never crossed your mind, not even in the beginning?"

She laughed. "Oh that's not really true either. It crossed my mind a_ lot_. I thought Inuyasha was such a jerk then, and I used to get mad all the time at the way he talked to me or treated me. I've never been so vindictively happy about subjugating someone before!"

"I imagine that was not favorable with your hanyou friend?" He asked.

"Doing exactly what Kikyo had done to him?" Kagome shook her head good humoredly. "No, he did not enjoy it either."

"But, if you're wondering about the first time I came back...hmm. Oh!" She exclaimed, turning to Kurama, "Yura – that was the demon's name – followed us back through the well. I mean, her hair did at least. The only way I could keep my family safe was to go back and fight. After that it was just a matter of whether or not I wanted to face the ramifications of what I had done. I essentially had gone into the past and mucked it up, and what it really comes down to is whether or not I was okay with leaving that mess for someone else to deal with, when it was in my power to at least try and fix it."

_So even back then her sense of responsibility was so strong as to compel her into innumerable dangers. To fix what she had broke…what simplistic reasoning, for such drastic consequences._ "That is…enlightening."

"Is it?" She asked. "I was just so guilty, I had to do _something_. And even then I could tell Inuyasha was on the good side – he saved my life so many times those first months! So of course I went back. I think anyone would've."

"In that I believe you are quite wrong Kagome."

She did not ask him why he thought so, for which Kurama was grateful. It wasn't like him to spout of anything but well-backed theories and factual data, and he would not have had anything but a good cover-up if she had the idea to wonder what gave him such an impression.

"And you? Did you find the time to ponder a question of your own?" He switched tracks, steering the conversation to safer waters.

She smiled up at him, sufficiently distracted. "I do actually."

"Well then please, go ahead."

She'd been sitting on her questions for him from the moment she'd met the kitsune, so it wasn't as if she had needed the time. Still, it was difficult to begin with just one inquiry and she settled on one with reluctance. "Do you remember everything about your er…other life?"

When his eyes betrayed his surprise, Kagome canted her head back towards where Souta and Yusuke lingered. "I was filled in on the basics of your team – nothing gossip worthy, I assure you."

_Ah_. Kurama nodded slowly, processing this new piece of information. Kagome was accepting of his dual nomenclature easily enough, even when the team had insisted that she use his human one only when in ear shot of other 'civilians', as Kuwabara had put it. He had been wondering how long her curiosity would allow the gloss over of knowledge.

"Well, I suppose the simple answer would be yes, all of it, but that isn't what you're looking for right?"

He didn't have to look up from his wayward gaze to see the shake of her head. "Nah, I was kinda hoping for a few more details."

"Well, that _is _fair. Not just by the rules of the game, but also in a sense of honour – I know much more about your background than I imagine you're comfortable with."

Kagome waved off his statement with a breezy shrug. "I didn't particularly mind. But you're right, I would like to know more about my new friends."

She was laughing to herself by the end of this little assertion, and it was the self-conscious admission that won him over. He explained gently. "Well, I'm essentially the result of two souls in one body. You typically interact with the more humanoid aspect of me, but it wouldn't be correct to say I _am_ the human half. I'm neither Youko nor Suichi, yet I am also both."

"That's…complicated."

"Very."

It was actually a funny reversal of Kagome's own situation with her previous self. They had one soul between the two of them, yet each person was a seemingly distinct entity. Kurama was the blending of two separate souls into one commandeering individual.

She seemed to toy with an idea for a moment, before chancing another thought. "So…it isn't like a dream? You can remember things just as clearly as if you'd lived them?"

Before he could interject, she smiled up at him, blue eyes twinkling over her blush. "Just for clarification, of course."

Kurama laughed. "Of course."

"Yes," he continued "it's as familiar to me as if it was this body that went through them. Although I must admit to the typical failings of time on my memory."

Kagome giggled. "Just how old _are_ you?"

"Ah ah." Kurama chastised. "That is officially _two_ questions, and I believe it is my turn once more."

"That's true." She conceded with a graceful tilt of her head.

And since he was positively brimming with questions, he found himself unable to wait any longer for her answers. Gratefully, she seemed all too willing to give him what he needed.

. . . .

"I think we should have a get-together."

He turned his head so it lolled over the back of the couch. "A what now?"

"A get-together." Kagome declared. When Yusuke finally righted his body he was met with the serious face of the priestess. "You know, so we can start on friendlier terms?"

_Uhm…_ "I thought we already were on friendly terms?"

The tentative question had no effect on her, except to cause a dismissive shake of the head. They were relaxing at her house, after what Yusuke considered a full day of uselessness, where he attended school to please his girlfriend, and Kagome attempted to detangle the mess of schoolwork she persisted in claiming. He found himself at the Higurashi household now almost every day, having no real excuse to turn down the constant offer of friendly faces and a warm atmosphere.

"We're all _forced_ together. But I hardly know anything about you!"

He held back the first insistence, that indeed she knew _more_ about them than most, since he understood what she meant. "We're friends."

"We're allies. It's different." Kagome sidestepped the couch that Yusuke was hanging over, neatly plopping herself down next to him with a disgruntled sigh.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "I mean…I know it's your job to watch out for me, and I respect that, but it's kind of disappointing to have this chance and not at least try to make the most of it."

Yusuke wanted to write this off as a woman thing, but even with the interspersed knowledge he had of her, he knew it was definitely a Kagome thing. And she was bound to have her way. "Well we _are_ friends." He insisted once more, and gestured between them.

She brightened at his words, a smile his only warning before she courted victory. "Alright! And friends have get-togethers."

Upstairs he could hear the gentle footsteps of her mother, folding away laundry while humming a soft tune. Nearby, Souta was muttering over some homework – math, if he had to guess, since that particular problem ran in the family. The cat was outside, basking in the setting sun of an early autumn. The only reason he couldn't hear her grandfather was because the geezer was away for the week, and even then Yusuke wasn't certain the distance could stop him. Every sense of his body spoke of his reality – he wasn't human, nowhere near normal, and the little brat _knew_ he hadn't a clue what friends in this world really entailed. He'd been a delinquent before he'd become a spirit detective!

Wait a minute… "How do you know that? You don't have time for get togethers either!"

He grinned and gloated until she shrugged off his concerns with a flippant wave of her hand. "Just because I haven't had any close friends on this side of the well since I first travelled doesn't mean I was always a loner. I happen to like people."

He grumbled. "What does a get-together mean exactly?"

Kagome turned, tucking her knees under so that she could face Yusuke fully. "People come over. They have fun, maybe even bond a little. You can stay the night! There'd be food." She added at his reluctant look.

He nodded. "I like food."

"And you like your friends."

"Sometimes."

"And you know, _aki matsuri _is coming up…we could hold it after I get back, and it'd be a great reason to celebrate and eat some food and _get together_."

Yusuke scowled and simpered and sulked. It wasn't that he disliked seeing his team. They just didn't really do much hanging out when there weren't missions involved. Large social events weren't his thing.

But big blue eyes peered up at him, and damn it if he wasn't a sucker for that sorta trust. "Fine." He grumbled "I'll come over."

"Great!" Kagome said, the end note of her cheer peaking suspiciously. Yusuke eyed the priestess with immeasurable hesitance.

"And…?"

"And," she drawled, stretching out the vowel nervously "if you could also ask everyone? I can talk to the rest of your team, but I thought it'd be nice if there were more faces."

She was leaning forwards now, her fists resting on top of her knees as she peered up at him wistfully. "Everyone who?"

"Oh, you know, Botan, Koenma, Keiko, maybe even that Yukina I'm always hearing about…Genkai too. Just because I haven't met them yet doesn't mean I wouldn't like to! Everyone's welcome!"

"You're inviting the _toddler_?"

"No," Kagome corrected "you are."

And of course, because Yusuke was gullible and naïve and hadn't thought up an appropriate plan to disengage her, he suddenly found himself agreeing. "_I'm _inviting the toddler?"

She squealed. "Awesome! You're the _best_."

She tackled him with a forceful hug, and even the human part of Yusuke could tell how happy she was.

"Wait a minute I never said _yes_ –"

"But you will!" She announced, with a smile full of smugness. "It'll be so much fun!"

_As if_. He frowned at her, but it was weak and tinged with humour. "You are a lot of work for someone bargaining for new friends."

She sat back, with a chuckle as his only response, and a very self-satisfied smile.

_I'm so going to regret this_.

. . . .

The next few days passed in this manner, with Kagome pulling whoever she could along with her into house and home, swapping questions with Kurama and humor infused insults with Yusuke. School was attended with begrudging deference, and plans were made for a future outing with all of the joy she felt was stamped out of her by mandatory education. This was all furthered by the fact that she had her very first 'friendly' introduction with Hiei, who sussed her out with nothing less than hostile respect.

When she had the first hint that it was indeed the remarkable little youkai who was approaching her shrine gates, she forced herself to wait outside the front steps so that he could approach her. She greeted him first with honor – a short bow and a humble lowering of the eyes – and then with warmth. "Why hello there Hiei. Are you to be my escort for the day?"

Yusuke had spent the last few nights at his own place, using the excuse of dates with Kieko and catching up on 'real work' to pry himself away from Mama's insistence of a warm meal, and as such wasn't there to act as her usual bodyguard. In all honesty she had been expecting Kuwabara perhaps, who had developed a fondness for telling her stories of demon lore from the past.

"Hn." Hiei agreed.

"Alrighty then!" She said cheerfully. "Well would you like any breakfast first? We make an excellent omelet-"

"Woman." He declared brusquely, which Kagome took to mean a _no_. She just shrugged and grabbed her pack, trying her best to sidle up next to the demon with ease. For whatever reason she couldn't shake the feeling that he was looking over her _very_ closely.

The walk to school was spent in one-sided conversation, for Hiei refused to answer any of her questions in anything but a neutral grunt, but Kagome had no trouble keeping up a constant stream of inane chattering. After all, it wasn't like she led a boring life.

When the two did finally make it to the school grounds, Kagome made to head to class. "Well thanks for that enlightening speech, I really think I've gotten to know you much better–"

He stopped her with a glare. "Your babbling is annoying. I do not see how you fit into the legend at all. But your reiki responds appropriately."

It was the most he had said, and Kagome was conflicted on how she felt about it. "Uhm…okay?"

Hiei nodded. "Hn." And then he was gone.

According to Kurama, who Kagome had later grilled under the assumption that he actually knew what had happen, that was a very good sign. He tried to explain it to her in simple terms, that her aura did not lash out at demons like most purity-prone individuals, but she was merely content to know that there was a chance she could sway the last member of the team into coming over for the autumn celebration. For the first time in a long while Kagome actually had something to look forward to on this side of the well. Her family provided the usual amount of joy, while school proved a necessary trouble, but now there was a _party_ happening. It was exciting and couldn't come any sooner, for she was interrupted from such happy thoughts by a very sudden arrival.

And like with most things, it only took a moment for everything to change.

. . . .

She had finally convinced Yusuke to come back over, permitting he dragged Keiko along with him. Since Mama was treating the boy as her second son – he _had_ been over an awful lot in Kagome's absence – it was only fair that she too be in on the lovely woman who was in the detective's heart. Kagome made no apologies, for it wasn't like she too wasn't the least bit curious about the girl.

Besides, if they were going to be friends, it was only fair that she be allowed to pry into his life in equal volumes.

There were still a couple of days before she was expected to return to her friends from the past, so it was with total curiosity that she watched Yusuke stand from his seat on the couch, staring off pointedly into the distance.

"What is it Yusuke dear?" Mama asked. She was sitting near Keiko, having already had the pleasure of being introduced, and matched the rest of the group's surprised looks.

He favored Kagome with a meaningful glance. "Your portal is activating."

"The well is?" She asked, at the same time that Souta shot up from his position in front of the TV and declared, "Inuyasha's back!"

Yusuke cocked his head to the side. "Yeah it's him alright…he seems agitated."

_Agitated?_ Kagome didn't have the time to ask him why he thought so, for soon enough the hanyou was leaping through the side window with all of the rashness he was known for. It was especially concerning given that she had proved to him countless times before that the front door was a viable option.

Taking in the consternation etched across his face, Kagome skipped the niceties and rushed over to her friend's side. "Inuyasha what's wrong?"

The dog-demon spared no time to greet her mother, or to ask what the hell another male was doing in her home, immediately zeroing in on her. "You gotta come with Kagome."

"What's happened?"

"C'mon, there's no time. I wouldn't get ya if I didn't have to, but we can't locate him through the fog and he's attacking the village, but there's his _shards_–"

She pieced it together. "His shards? Is it…"

He nodded absently, sniffing the air and finally managing a wavering smile for the group he found greeting him. "It's Naraku."

There was a dull roar in her ears, and Kagome's heartbeat quickened until it leapt at her throat. She shook her head, but all she said was, "Just let me go grab my arrows."

As she hurried upstairs competing thoughts filtered slowly through her mind. They hadn't hear from Naraku since the incident had happened, and all of a sudden he was attacking them? Had he recovered so soon? They were going to lose the advantage this way, the element of surprise, the ability to amass more allies. There hadn't been enough _time_ and-

She found her weapons where she had left them, casually strewn in the corner of her room, and the sight of them filled her with resolve and slowed the panic in her chest. Of course, the why's and the how's didn't matter. There was a problem, and they were going to face it.

Running down the stairs, she was greeted halfway by Inuyasha. "Ready?" He asked.

She nodded her head. Now wasn't the time for careful goodbye's, and yet…

With the hanyou at her back she ran into the foyer and gave her mother a resolute smile. "See you guys soon." She said, proud that her voice only wobbled near the end.

Yusuke gazed at her solemnly, but true to form Mama matched her for a smile of her own. "Alright dear."

Inuyasha was at her elbow. "Kagome…"

She looked up at him with grim determination. It was time.

. . . .

_Drip. _

_Drip._

_ Drip._

She woke to the sentient world gradually and painfully. Moments fluttered underneath her eyelids, moving to the slow and steady rhythm of falling water.

_Inuyasha, coming to get her. Worried faces surrounding her on all sides, Mama trying to put on a brave face, unable to see past the future in the hanyou's eyes._

She groaned…her head throbbed with each small step towards consciousness. She tried to bring a hand forward, to cradle the pain in her skull, but something was preventing her.

_The blue magic of the well. Wind in her hair, running towards the screaming. Youkai. Youkai everywhere, all over the village. Why was there so much screaming?_

_Oh right. The villagers._

Her head hurt _so_ much. There was an uncomfortable weight against her shoulders, and a nagging feeling in the back of her head – the pain blocked any clarity out.

_Naraku. Blood and guts and oh god it was Naraku. That's right, Inuyasha had said Naraku. Red eyes and a positively pleased grin. Zeroed in on her – he was looking right at her!_

With a sudden jolt Kagome's eyes shot open. She turned to her side, struggling to bring her arm close to her. She couldn't – she was _stuck_ oh god she couldn't move her arm why couldn't she move her _arm_ – only to find it was bound against the wall.

The wall?! She blinked slowly, trying to focus. She was somewhere dark, only a small torchlight lighting her way. Jerking her other arm a slow realization came upon her.

She was _chained_.

_A tentacle, always a tentacle, chasing after her, no matter where she went. Vaulting over Inuyasha's shoulder. Pain blossoming at the base of her neck. Vision fading, fading on the one thing she most wanted to rid herself of._

_Eyes. Red eyes. And a maniacal smile that was getting closer…and closer…_

_And then darkness._

Panic overcame her. A scream tore itself up through her throat but died on her lips, a breathless cry. There was so much _pain_ and her wrists were burning and oh where was _Inuyasha_.

The sudden thought that her friends were not here, might not be okay, brought a sick taste to Kagome's mouth. Copper and something earthier and _oh she was going to hurl_.

A deep chuckle, anchored to reality, focused her panic. Her gaze shot up and all she could see was red.

"Where am I?" She cried, shamed to find herself so pitiable.

"You are rather a sorry sight for someone so revered." Naraku said, stepping forward into the small bit of light available. It brought him into an unfortunately close proximity to Kagome, and she deliberately swallowed the next whimper.

"Where _am_ I?" She repeated, trying to tune out the pain and the memories and the worry and _fear_.

Inuyasha wouldn't have been afraid. _Channel Inuyasha._

Naraku shrugged nonplussed. "Somewhere no one will ever find you. And even if they found this place, well…let's just say, you won't be here."

Her head was slowly clearing up, and the last few moments of the battle were filtering back through her mind. "You…_took_ me?"

Inuyasha would've hurled at least a dozen insults by now. Yusuke maybe twenty. Hell, even polite Kurama would have found a way to make the bastard feel some semblance of _annoyance_ at this point.

_The difference is, they all happen to have a huge amount of power backing them up._

"I want what belongs to me. You're standing in the way."

She could _feel_ him approach her, leaning down to brush a firm hand across her chest. It felt gross and awful and made all the worse when he confirmed her worst fears. "The shikon jewel is _mine_ you deplorable wench."

Kagome strained against her restraints, snarling at the demon before her. "Well too fucking bad you cowardly piece of –"

Pain exploded across her cheek. Her eyes rolled back, head cracking against the wall she was slumped down next to. Several moments passed and Kagome tasted blood in her mouth. _Channeling them hurts._

His touch brought her back, fingers grazing her temple, and she knew _oh gods he's right there_. Purposely, Kagome kept her eyes shut.

"Priestess," he purred "I already have what I want."

His hand drifted down her cheek, caressing the chafe skin he had backhanded, and then further down to her shoulders. _He must be kneeling next to me_. Sharp pain forced her eyes open and she tore them down to where his claws were piercing the junction between shoulder and neck.

"And I will have so much _fun_ finding out just how much the shikon will put you through before I tear it out of your cold, dead, flesh."

With a calculated twist of his wrist, a chunk of her skin tore out and Naraku stood back up. _Pain. Ugh. OhmygodIcan'tdothis_.

Kagome tried, oh how she tried, but she could not keep in the next scream, not with the promise of many more to follow. Blissfully, the darkness came back, and she sunk back into it, vision fading, fading, and _gone. _

_Drip._

_Drip._

_ Drip._

* * *

**_AN:_**Hello there everyone! Long time no see...er...sorry?

Pleasant news! I got a new laptop! Now I know, you're shaking your head at this going, "_well that's all fine and dandy for you but how does that make up for the insufferably long wait you have put us through?_". WELL I'm here to tell you that's _exactly_ why you should be pleased (and if you don't want to know why, please skip this next paragraph).

**So** as it goes with me and technology I've had a lot of issues with it. If any of you follow my other story _Struggle_ you'll see that quite often I'm complaining about what have you in regards to technology (okay, _and_ school _and _work and even Thanksgiving...I complain more than I'd like, but it's all in good-humour). This is because me and technology are not the best of friends. Case in point: I bought a new laptop and put my nice official paid for Office 365 on it, just to have the program mysteriously disappear days later, along with my access to every WIP/RoughDraft/NextScene I had created for this chapter (that is btw what I'm blaming any choppiness you may find reading this chapter on...ahah). Fret not! Apparently it's an easy enough fix BUT THE POINT (I digress) is that I bought a laptop, to avoid the problems I'm having with my computer and printing in _just_ colour (which is a total waste when your notes are printed in **black **background), and I take it with my to university to write my notes on, and I happen to have very long breaks in between classes and on the bus to and from school, so you will likely find me updating (ie. avoiding _all_ of my studying) a little bit more! So I am sorry about the wait but I hope it will only be followed by quicker releases.

**TL;DR**-I bought a new laptop. It has Word on it. Expect a _few_ more updates that usual!

As for this chapter...what can I say, I love a good cliff-hanger! What will happen to our dear Kagome? I fear you should fret for her livelihood, because this _can't_ be good. Where oh where is her dashing Inuyasha!

Love you all so much, and hopefully we'll talk again soon ;)


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